


It's Hard To Be A Hero's Kid

by oakleyfraser4



Series: It's Hard To Be A Hero's Kid [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, F/F, F/M, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, canonverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakleyfraser4/pseuds/oakleyfraser4
Summary: "John Murphy was the cockroach, Emori was the frikdreina. Together they made a life where their kids would be neither of the sort.”Meet Arden Murphy, the second youngest of the Murphy kids. Growing up is hard enough but adding the complicated emotions that come with a family falling apart and trying to find where you fit in the world, surely makes everything harder. Luckily Arden has friends surrounding him, ones that will be there for him no matter what. Arden is a hero’s kid by chance, but maybe in this story he’ll find what it really means to be a hero.Memori's kids (+ them and others) AU story / CanonverseUPDATING ON SATURDAYS! SUBSCRIBE TO GET NOTIFIED EVERY TIME A NEW CHAPTER IS POSTED!*Content Warning. This fic may contain content such as breakdowns, injuries (nothing graphic unless a secondary warning is given) & possibly deal with mental health issues (panic attacks, depression, anxiety). If this type of thing isn’t for you, please do not read this fanfic, or keep this warning in mind as you proceed*
Relationships: Clarke Griffin & Spacekru, Emori & John Murphy & Raven Reyes, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), John Murphy & Raven Reyes, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Male Character & Original Female Character, minor Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin - Relationship
Series: It's Hard To Be A Hero's Kid [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933207
Comments: 41
Kudos: 33





	1. Good Days And Bad Days

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I was inspired by a fellow fanfic writer on ao3 (you might know her as "mylifeiskara") to write an AU Memori fic. Me being me had to take it one step further and create a Memori kids AU because imagining my favourite TV show characters as parents is all I do with my life. After much delegation, processing and writers-block moments, I finally give you "It's Hard To Be A Hero's Kid"
> 
> *FYI we’re not going to pay attention to actual time lines in the way of the ages. Their oldest child being 24 makes Murphy and Emori over 50 which I cannot wrap my head around. So hahaha, the age of the adults just isn’t going to be calculated officially*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y’all enjoy this first chapter! *TW for minor breakdown (it's obvious when it happens, so you can always skip that part if you don't want to read about it)*

~1~

Being a kid of two outcasts-one a “frikdreina” at that-you’d think Arden Murphy couldn’t get much farther away from normal if he tried. His sister, Alexia, had the same hand mutation as his mom; his brother, Blue, was technically deaf. And the family’s youngest child, Everly, was a nightblood and two of her toes were bonded together. It was only John and Emori’s third child, Arden, who portrayed absolutely no “mutation” or difference. He was simply, himself. Which made him even less normal than his unnormal family.

Murphy and Emori had grown out of their cave-like home near the middle of Sanctum’s compound. They now lived in a pale blue farmhouse next to the yellow one Russell Lightbourne had built for his wife, Simone. Over twenty-four years had passed since the last war, and Planet Alpha’s population was slowly getting back to where it was before chaos had ensued. The Murphy kids had at least a couple friends their age; Arden and Everly had the most. It made life more exciting, and allowed Arden to find other kids like him. Kids who didn’t feel like they belonged in their family, no matter how hard their parents tried. 

Arden felt that way. He knew his parents didn’t mean to make him feel like an outcast in a family of once-outcasts, but he did. At least when he was with his group of friends, he felt included. Ophelia, his best friend, made life awesome. She was everything one could want in a best friend. Best part was that she also felt out of place in her family. Both Arden and Ophelia were two peas-in-a-pod it seemed.

It was nearing sunset when Arden made it back home after a day of swimming in the lake. Because there weren’t many dangers on planet Alpha except for The Red Sun Toxin, the kids were kind of free to do what they pleased as long as they didn’t cross any bodies of water or go past Anomaly Village. Practically any kid’s dream to be left to their own devices and adventure off with friends. Arden loved the freedom; it was mainly what he was thankful for. 

He did not like, however, that his kid sister Everly seemed to be glued to his side recently. She always wanted to follow him with his friends and tag along. Emori had told Arden to be kind to Everly, and he was trying. It just was hard, when his younger sister wouldn’t give him space. Today, he had managed to shrug her off, telling her he was going deep swimming, a place where eleven year olds were not permitted. The break from Everly was nice, at least for Arden. He’d spent the morning messing around with Uncle Miller and Uncle Jackson’s boys, then headed to the deep cove with Ophelia at his side. An afternoon of laughter and splashing was just what Arden had hoped for.

Now he was back at home. He opened the door to their farmhouse, clattering loudly into the foyer. “I’m home!” He shouted, unaware of the time. The sixteen year old, who would be seventeen in three weeks, pulled off his shoes and saw the remnants of dinner left on the counter. “Mom? Dad? Where are you guys?”

Footsteps came falling down the stairwell, loud and eager. The Murphy’s were fortunate enough to have a two level place, and each child had their own room. Most families in Sanctum did well for themselves. It was only in Anomaly Village that living spaces became cramped.

Arden expected to see his dad or maybe Alexia but instead, it was Everly. “Oh hey Ever,” he said.

“Hi!” Everly was full of energy even though it was getting to be late. “Did you and Phee have fun?”

Arden shrugged, heading towards the kitchen to see if he could grab a snack. The sandwich he took to the deep cove hadn’t been enough to fill the growl in his stomach. “I guess.” Grabbing an apple and the pitcher of juice, he set up on the counter to make himself some food. “And I told you, Ophelia doesn’t like it when people call her that.” _Plus it’s my nickname for her_ , Arden thought.

“But you call her it.” Everly hopped up on the kitchen island, avoiding all the dishes that hadn’t been cleaned up lately.

He rolled his eyes. Sisters, especially younger ones, didn’t get it. “So? She’s my best friend. You call Trevor “Trev” and I don’t.”

“But not just me. People at school do too.” Everly was beginning to whine and Arden wasn’t about to deal with it.

“Everly, just leave me alone, okay?” Arden snapped, “Where is everyone anyways?”

There was a tap on the door frame, startling both Arden and Everly. “Your father is right here,” John Murphy said, looking tired. “And what did your mom and I say about being kind to your little sister, Arden? She’s just excited you’re home.”

Arden stopped himself from talking back to his dad. “Sorry,” he muttered. His father didn’t say anything, but nodded towards the cup of juice Arden had just poured. Without hesitating, Arden poured a second one for his dad and handed it to him. “Rough day?” he asked, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

Murphy ran a hand through his messy hair. Getting old hadn’t done much except turn his scruff a bit grey. Being a father of four caused the tiredness Arden could see in his father’s eyes. “You know, there are good days and bad ones.”

Both Everly and Arden nodded. They knew, alright.

Murphy fiddled with the glass in his hand, but didn’t take a drink of it. Arden cleared his throat the turned to his sister. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” 

Everly lifted a shoulder, used to it by now. “It’s fine.”

“Everly was a big help for me today,” Murphy said, advocating for his youngest. “Alexia was off at Anomaly Village and Blue was god knows where. I couldn’t do everything on my own, so Everly stepped up.” 

Arden knew his dad wasn’t trying to guilt him, but he felt sad he wasn’t able to be around to help more. He wanted to, he really did. But more exciting offers came up than helping with house chores and hanging with Everly, so he took what he could get. “I’m sorry Dad,” Arden began.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not fair of me to make you guys help out. Everly should be doing normal kid things. Not mucking about her with old pa.” Murphy banged his fist on the counter, making the kids jump.

“Dad, are you okay?” Arden didn’t know what to say. Sure, there were bad times, and then there were _really_ bad times. Normally, Murphy managed to keep it together, although lately it seemed as though he was losing it.

“I’m fine.” Murphy slammed down the glass of juice, sloshing the contents everywhere. “I’m _fine_.” 

Arden flicked a worried glance at Everly. “Go get Auntie Ray, right now,” he ordered, quietly.

His sister knew what this meant, jumping off the counter immediately to do what she was asked. Murphy didn’t even notice her slip out the front door; her footsteps could be soft when she tried hard enough. “Why did we have to do it?” Murphy started, raking his hands through his tangled mop of hair many times over. “I told her we shouldn’t. I told her about the risks. I _told_ her that it wasn’t right.” The man was shaking now, and Arden could only wait. Wait until the tears came, which appeared in the corner of Murphy’s eyes only seconds later. Wait for the collapse of his father’s body slumping to the floor as he lost himself in a world of pain. He reached out a hand to place on his father’s shoulder; a sign to let him know he was here. Silence ensued. Arden had only been five when everything happened and even over eleven years later, life wasn’t easy. 

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Arden said, as Murphy’s body racked with sobs. He was probably imagining it all before. Before pain came and withered it’s way into the Murphy Family’s lives. Arden knew his family wasn’t perfect. And sure, he felt out of place a lot, due to the fact he was “normal”. But if he had one wish, he knew he’d save it for something other than the feeling of belonging. He’d want his family to be the way it was _before_ Everly; happy, healthy and carefree. Everly knew her existence had a major impact on their lives, but it was only the three older children who knew just how much of a toll it had taken on their family. Arden loved his little sister, but maybe a part of his resented her for changing their lives so drastically. He wanted to have both Everly and the happy-go-lucky hero family he once knew.

Like father like son, Arden sank to the floor and sat staring at his father, watching him break down. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last. Life never managed to sort itself out enough for John Murphy to straighten his thoughts out. Luckily Alexia, Blue, Arden and even Everly would always be there for him, just as he had sworn he’d be there for them. It was a lot more give than take, especially in the recent months as things began to spiral downhill but Arden was thankful his father had changed his mind from how he originally was. Arden had heard stories growing up of how his father was far from the hero he ended up to be, the father he ended up to be. They were mostly told in good spirits, maybe when some of the adults had had a few too many cups of Jo Juice. Arden liked those stories the best, the funny ones were his favourite.

It seemed liked years but only moments later, Raven burst into their place. Everly was at her heels, and a stricken-faced Resley, too. Resley was Raven’s fourteen year old daughter, and a friend of Everly’s. She always came over to help keep Everly entertained when the Murphy house was undergoing an “episode” such as this. “Murphy, what the hell?” Raven knelt on the ground next to her old friend. They had known each other since they were teenagers; before Arden’s parents had even met. “Come on, get up. Why don’t we go into the other room? You don’t want Blue to come home to this or Everly to be scared.” Everyone knew it was too late for Everly to not be scared, but Raven’s words seemed to at least get Murphy moving. Arden stood up himself, mouthed a ‘thank you’ to his aunt and then began to clean the counter. He knew Raven would be able to calm Murphy down.

Both Everly and Resley moved to help him. It was clear Everly was shaken up by another incident happening so close to their father’s last one. Arden’s anger for her earlier had melted away, and Everly could tell, so she wrapped her skinny arms around her brother’s waist and buried her head into his shirt. He put the plate he was holding down, and hugged her tightly.

“It’s because of me that Daddy’s like this,” Everly sobbed. “And Mommy too.” 

Arden couldn’t reply with anything for a long moment. Resley kept cleaning and Arden was thankful for that. It was Everly’s fault, yet it wasn’t at the same time. Everly didn’t ask to be alive, to cause the problems. She just had and everyone was stuck with the consequences.

Finally, Arden found the words he wanted to say to his sister. “Ever, you know if Mom were here right now, she’d tell you that it isn’t your fault, right? She’d say that you didn’t do anything. And I know if Mom said those words to you right now, you’d believe her.” 

Everly nodded, sniffling. “Yeah, I would.”

“So believe me. Pretend I’m Mom.” Arden grabbed a dishcloth off the counter and put it on his head. “See? Now I have long hair like Mom.” 

A laugh burst out and Everly quickly wasn’t crying anymore. “I love you, big brother,” she said, hugging him again. “Even though you snap at me, I still love you.” 

“I love you too.” Arden hugged her back. “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay? You and Resley keep cleaning and I’ll help put things away when I get back.” 

“Okay.” Everly unlatched her grip on her brother and went to help her friend. Arden stepped out of the kitchen, pausing only to look over his shoulder at Everly changing topic right away with Resley. She was annoying, yeah, but she was his only little sister. What was that saying Uncle Bellamy used to say to Auntie O? Arden racked his brain trying to remember.

_My sister, my responsibility,_ Arden thought suddenly. “My sister, my responsibility.” He said aloud, as he climbed the stairs. The words rang through his head as he turned the corner at the top of the staircase, heading for the one place he knew where he’d find some peace for his thoughts. Alexia was always Blue’s caretaker, and it was just assumed Arden was Everly’s. The Murphy kids always took take of each other, no matter what. Their mom made them promise that, because she relied on her brother’s bond growing up. Emori’s words were always of wisdom, and her children made sure to listen. They worshipped her, although not as much as Murphy did. Which is why he broke down more often than Alexia, Blue, Arden and Everly did. That being said, they still had their moments. But alas, it was Murphy who hurt the most.

Arden pushed open the door at the end of the hall, knowing what he’d find. White ceiling, pale yellow walls and fresh white bedding on a large mattress, fit for a palace. In the corner, a wicker chair sat with a small card table next to it. On the card table was a tall pot and Arden’s eyes immediately went to it. He sighed, stepped fully inside the room and said, “Hi Mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well how was the first chapter?
> 
> I left the ending ambiguous (I think?) and I cannot guarantee all will be explained in the next chapter. Hope this gives you a little taste into the life of our protagonist, Arden Murphy. Y'all know how much I love hearing your thoughts, so leave a comment if you want ;) I'll try to reply within 24 hours!


	2. Queen Of My Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title was inspired by ["House of Cards"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_aAMBy5Y-0) by Tyler Shaw. He’s a Canadian pop artist (from a town near mine actually!) and he’s absolutely amazing. Personally, I believe that “House Of Cards” describes Murphy and Emori’s relationship beautifully. Give it a listen as you read this chapter!
> 
> My Beta Producer (her official title as decided by us), Allison whom I will further be referring to as Alls, said this chapter was quote “really good but sad”. Not sure what you guys wanna do about that :/
> 
> I’ll apologize now for the sadness/angst that this chapter brings. I’m sorry. 
> 
> Now onto the chapter!

~2~

_75 days prior : Sanctum, Jackson & Miller's cottage _

_Murphy paced back and forth outside Jackson's makeshift hospital room, which was really the couple's spare room. His hands balled and unballed into fists with the occasional run through his hair. The kids lined the wall outside the door sitting on the carpet, eyelids drooping. The darkness of the sky was their only teller of time; its inky black colour meant that the night was full in swing. While the stars danced on, the Murphy family was spending yet another night away from home. This was the third time this week, and the seventeenth time since last month. Miller, Dr. Jackson’s husband, had practically set up the hall as a bedroom, with pillows and blankets for the family. Miller was used to his doctor-husband working long hours, and did his best to help out._

_It had been one of the worst days. Murphy had found his wife curled up in a ball in their room, a cold sweat perspiring her forehead. Her breathing was laboured and shallow, giving off the impression she wasn’t doing well. Arden hadn’t been home, and neither had Alexia. That left Murphy shouting for help, with only Everly to hear. She had run into the room only to see her mother lying limp on the bed. Murphy screamed for his youngest to find Blue, Alexia, Arden or anyone. The stricken child ran for her life, knowing her mother’s life also depended on her._

_Blue had come upstairs after being told Murphy needed him. He saw his mother and sprang into action. Murphy and Blue carried her down the stairs together, then Murphy took Emori into his arms. Blue swept some bare necessities into a duffel bag, slammed the door shut and ran after his father. Alexia and Arden met Murphy at Jackson and Miller’s where all five, plus Emori, had stayed._

_Now, Everly slept, though Arden assumed her dreams would always be haunted by what she had seen that day and the many days before. It was gone midnight; probably closer to sunrise than the previous sunset._

_It was only a few more minutes before Jackson stepped outside the room and Murphy immediately turned to face him. "How bad is it?" He asked, looking worried._

_Jackson flicked a glance at the kids. "Maybe you should send them home first." Even though almost all of them had passed out by now, they were Murphy’s and Murphy’s were prone to fake-sleeping._

_Murphy nodded, and Miller helped nudge the kids awake. “Alexia, please take Everly home. You boys can go too.” His gaze shifted to Miller. “Do you mind seeing them to the turn off?”_

_Uncle Miller and Uncle Jackson lived in Sanctum due to Jackson overseeing the hospital in town. The path-which travelled from the farmhouse district to where the Murphy’s resided into Sanctum-was well travelled, so Murphy didn’t worry too much about his kids going home alone. But he knew he’d feel better if an adult walked them partway._

_Everly had fallen back asleep after Alexia had pulled her into her arms, but the rest of the kids felt guilty leaving their father behind. Plus they were worried about their mother. Arden met his siblings’ gazes as they all communicated with their eyes about what to do. Blue lifted up his hands to sign that he could stay, when Arden decided to be the big kid. “I’ll stay, Dad,” he said, signing for Blue to understand at the same time._

_Murphy could barely acknowledge his son’s words. “Okay,” he mumbled. He was just nervous to hear Jackson’s diagnosis regarding his wife._

_Alexia, Blue, Everly and Miller left, and Jackson put a hand on Murphy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”_

_Arden was silent. What did those words mean? He’d only heard them one other time, when someone had died. Was his mother dead? “Is my mom okay?” He blurted out._

_Jackson lifted his head and looked at both Murphy and his son. "It's not good. She’s still weak. We’re lucky she’s made it this long.” Jackson sighed. “Everly is eleven now. Emori knew that having her, once she was diagnosed with the rare genetic blood disease, that bringing a fourth child to full term would ultimately be fatal.”_

_The words washed over Arden, and he closed his eyes, gripping the railing on the banister to steady himself. He had heard them many times, how his mother’s condition was all due to the fact that Everly was created. It was thanks to the fact her genetics had a malfunction, causing her to biologically inherit nightblood. Emori was a grounder, and didn't have nightblood by blood. She had had the black liquid injected into her way before Alexia was born. And for some reason, a host with injected nightblood, the solution made by Abby Griffin had malfunctioned. The scientific traits were too much for Arden to understand, but he knew his mother was unwell. She had been ever since Everly was born. Murphy was the one to raise Everly, with the help of his older children, while Emori drifted in and out of a coma at first. There had been a few good years, when Jackson thought a miracle had appeared and Emori was cured. Though within the year of Everly turning eleven, Emori’s condition had declined rapidly. It was all the family could do to keep themselves optimistic._

_When Arden opened his eyes, he saw his father’s shoulders shaking in Jackson’s embrace. Jackson had wet eyes himself; though Murphy originally had annoyed him, he now thought of the man as a friend, a brother perhaps. And Emori, well everyone loved her. They were surprised when she announced she was pregnant for the fourth time, after having Arden five years earlier. No one questioned it, even when they heard Murphy and Emori fighting over whether or not to bring Everly’s life into the world. They all knew Emori was strong, and believed she could fight whatever Jackson said she would suffer from. In the end, they were all wrong, with Murphy being the only “right” one. But he could hardly say “I told you so” to his beloved wife as she lay practically immobilized on a bed fit for a queen._

_Arden tried to smile as he thought about his parents. While Emori always called him a cockroach, Murphy always called her his queen. “Queen of my heart,” Arden used to hear Murphy whisper to her, in the night when all the kids should’ve been asleep. The phrase was so unlike Murphy, Arden almost didn’t believe his father had said it. But he did, and as Emori became more bed-ridden, Murphy would tell her it more often, not caring that his friends and children would overhear it. He didn’t care anymore. All he wanted was for his wife to roll her eyes and swat his shoulder like she had done so many times before after hearing his cheesy line. Now, she barely had the strength to understand her husband was speaking._

_Still, Murphy said it to her every single damn day. Before she dazed off into a restless slumber at night, and he was there to follow it up with a kiss every morning. All the Murphy kids knew it happened and their hearts would forever recognize that no matter what, Murphy would love Emori. They also knew Emori loved him back wholeheartedly._

_She loved her kids endlessly and even when it got tough, she still tried to be the best mom she could be. The parent she never had growing up, because she was cast out for her differences. Arden would do anything to have her hug him tightly again, and sing sweet songs in their ears. Emori hated her singing because she always said she couldn’t hear a tune, which was honestly the truth. But singing was Arden’s special moment only he had with his mom. The way he voice cracked on certain notes was the soundtrack to his childhood._

_Now he would never hear it again. Or it was unlikely, seeing as Emori was bedridden, barely able to breathe. He wanted his mom back. The mom that he only remembered from stories, or “good days”. The last “good day” they had was only a few weeks back; Emori had made it out of bed for breakfast which she ate slowly but independently. Murphy held her “disformed” hand underneath the table, and Emori had smiled over at him. They shared one passionate kiss, though that sparked all the kids saying “Ewwww.” Parental PDA, no matter your age, is downright embarrassing. It was a given that Murphy and Emori would play it up with loud lip smacking and laughter while the kids shut their eyes and covered their ears. Over time it became a family joke. One that caused outbursts of giggling and shrieks that their neighbours probably cursed them for. Smiles all around the table. The Murphy family knew how to have fun._

_Except no one was laughing now. There was no fun to be had-there hadn’t been for a long time. Emori was the spark of the family, the light of their lives. The Queen of the family’s heart. It still beat faintly, and though Murphy was still sobbing in Jackson’s awkward embrace, Arden knew he wouldn’t give up on Emori. Not until his last breath left his body._

_“Dad, she’ll be okay.” Arden made his way over to his father; the few steps feeling like miles._

_Jackson let go of Murphy so that he could hug his son. They stayed like that long after Miller came back from walking the other kids halfway home, only breaking apart to go sit with Emori. She was drugged up to numb the pain, but her fingers still twitched. She knew they were there. That they loved her._

_'Queen of my heart' was what Murphy told her. But truly, Emori was queen of the Murphy's hearts. Always and forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Leave a message in the comments if you want :) I live for theories and all that. 
> 
> I will be adding "The Murphy Kids' Name Inspirations" when Chapter 5 is released. I will also be adding on other name inspirations regarding different characters names that I've made up myself (for this story). Stay tuned for that. 
> 
> As well, I've finally come up with a posting schedules. Expect a chapter for this story every Saturday. If for some reason life gets ahead of me and I don't post, please don't be mad. Just expect me to post the following week (on Saturday) or check my Instagram stories for updates!


	3. Dog Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This almost didn’t get uploaded. on time. I literally had no motivation for this chapter for some reason. But it’s thanks to Alls for forcing me to finish (and some oreo cookies) that I managed to finish this chapter. Apparently writing a mundane day is hard for me because I like angst. Oops. So to compensate I added some other stuff (no angst, at least not much, so don’t worry)
> 
> In case you were wondering, the term “dog days” originated in Finland and it basically means the period of time between early July to early September when the days are super hot. I thought this would be fitting for this chapter taking place on the brink of fall, right before the days change weather.
> 
> I really like this chapter, and especially the new characters introduced. Beta Producer Alls said that it was “my [her] favourite chapter so far”. That’s gotta say something, right? Anyways, enough of me talking now ;) Hope you enjoy!

~3~

Two days after his father’s most recent break down, Arden decided to go on an adventure with his best friend. He was ready by nine-a.m. on the dot, the time they said they’d leave. Now it was nine-fourteen. “Phee, let’s go already!” Arden whined. Although this wasn’t the first time they’d be late because Ophelia always took  _ ages _ to get ready.

Ophelia checked her outfit one last time in the mirror, then pulled open her bedroom door. “Impatient much?” She said with an eye roll and a wink towards Arden. “You know I don’t just get this pretty overnight.” 

“Shut up.” Arden tried not to laugh but his best friend knew how to get to him. The two clattered downstairs, bags packed and ready for an exciting day.

Before they could leave, Ophelia made the mistake of poking her head into her parents’ room. It’s a wonder all three of the Levitt kids aren’t scarred by the amount of awkward situations they’ve caught their parents in. “Mom, Dad, Arden and I are leaving now.” Ophelia said, opening the door without knocking.

A laugh rang out and it wasn’t Ophelia. “You’re as bad as Raven!” Octavia laughed, while Levitt chucked a pillow towards his eldest daughter. Auntie Ray’s reputation of being a terrible knocker had spread like wildfire throughout all of Murphy’s friends in the last twenty-five years. It was now a running joke, and all the kids thought it was hilarious. Raven did too; at least she could laugh at this point. Arden had heard a few stories from his dad and mom about Raven walking in on them on the Ring. It made him sad for just a moment, remembering the hints of happiness their family had had before things turned ugly.

Ophelia slammed her parents’ bedroom door shut and quickly walked away. “Damn, I forgot to knock again,” Ophelia said, hanging her head. “Luckily they were both under the covers this time. Last week they weren’t and that’s a sight a sixteen year old girl doesn’t want to see.” She shook her head in disgust and glanced at Arden.

He snapped to attention, realizing Ophelia was waiting for a reply. “Oh yeah I can imagine how scarring that would be,” he said, shooting his best friend a smile. “You ready to go now?”

“Yeah. I’m sure Mom and Dad are busy, _ aren’t they _ ?” Ophelia raised her voice at the end, loud enough for her parents to hear her.

“We sure are!” Levitt shouted back while his wife laughed, and Ophelia plugged her ears. Arden laughed and dragged Ophelia out of the house, shutting the door behind him.

It took a few paces, but Ophelia stopped plugging her ears and turned to Arden, desperate to change the subject. “So how’s your dad?” Ophelia asked, not looking directly at her best friend. Arden and Ophelia’s friendship was simple; have a good time, love each other no matter what, but leave all your family problems for late night talks by the fire. Ophelia just felt that it was only right to ask because all of their friends had heard about Murphy’s recent break down. Everyone who knew the Murphys had volunteered to bring them home cooked meals for the days following, in order to lighten Murphy's load.

Arden shoved his hands into his pockets. He had a feeling Ophelia would ask him this. He just hadn’t had a chance to prepare an answer. “Uh, he’s fine. Now, I guess. Jackson’s got him on some sleeping pills. I don’t know how well they’re working or if he’s taking them. Because, you know, he wants to be near her all the time.” Arden stares off into the distance. Be near her room. Sit outside the room with pale yellow walls and white bedding. With little furniture because why would his mom need it? The only reason there was anything in there, was due to Murphy not being able to let it go.

“I know.” Ophelia sighed. Though her parents drove her crazy sometimes, at least both of them were alive and well. “Anyways, I’m sorry I asked. I just wanted to make sure. Where are we meeting up with everyone?” Ophelia asked, shouldering her backpack to better situate the weight. Arden almost asked if she wanted him to carry it, he  _ was  _ stronger than her, but decided against it. She was a “strong, independent woman” as said by Ophelia herself. Apparently that meant not needing help hardly ever, from anyone.

Happy the subject was off his family, Arden shrugged. “The Anomaly Village was what I said on the radio. But knowing Rory she’ll probably meet us at the Sanctum Junction.” 

Ophelia nudged her shoulder into Arden’s. “You’re the only person under sixty to call it that, you know? We just call it the turnoff. Or Choices.” Her eyebrows waggled teasingly in Arden’s direction.

Rolling his eyes, Arden shoved Ophelia’s shoulder back. “Oh shut up. I only call it the Sanctum Junction because that’s what Mom remembered it as.” Dammit, he brought the conversation right back to the topic he was trying to avoid. “God I’m such an idiot.” Arden stopped walking and kicked his foot against the nearest tree.

“I hate Everly so much.” Arden snarled, not at anyone in particular. “Why did she have to be born? Why did they have to have another kid? We were a perfect family without her. What good is my little sister?” 

“You don’t mean that,” Ophelia said, trying to calm Arden down. He was scaring her a bit, going off in a fit of rage similar to his own father’s. But Murphy was only harmful to himself. Arden was kicking the tree harder and harder, almost as if he wanted to hurt something else too. “Arden, stop it!” The words left Ophelia’s mouth louder and more aggressive than intended. 

As soon as she said them, she wanted to take them back. She covered her mouth with her hand and could barely mutter an apology. She and Arden didn’t yell at each other. They didn’t get mad or complain-at least not much-about their home lives. Something had changed between them in the recent months and both Ophelia and Arden didn’t like it. Having a best friend wasn’t easy. “I’m sorry,” Ophelia said again.

“I’m sorry too.” Moving away from the tree, Arden looked up and tried to smile at his friend. “Why don’t we just forget everything and have a fun day with our friends? Oh, we should stop for ice cream on our way back. I must have spare change in my bag.” Eager to keep a light-hearted conversation, Arden pushed his deep thoughts to the back of his mind. No one needed to hear those. Plus tomorrow he started school again and turned seventeen in less than three weeks. Seventeen was a big deal. Arden just hoped his family would be stable enough to celebrate it this year.

Ophelia played off of Arden’s change in emotions and skipped to match his walking pace. “Ice cream sounds refreshing. Are you gonna try to touch the bottom of the deep end this time?” 

“Try? I can do it, you know.” 

“Oh please. Don’t lie to me. We all know you’re too chicken to do it.” 

“Shut up! I am not.” There was a playful look in Ophelia’s eyes as she teased Arden, and his gaze mirrored hers.

As they neared the Sanctum Junction, two figures could be seen chasing each other around the giant tree that forked the roads. You could either turn one way and head for the farmhouse district or the other way to The Anomaly Village. Waiting for them were Charlie Diyoza and Aurora Blake. Aurora went by Rory to everyone who knew her because she absolutely hated her full name. She always complained that it was too much like a princess, and if you knew Rory, she was anything but.

Round and round went Charlie and Rory, playing some sort of tag game. They were both one year younger than Ophelia and Arden. One year might not seem like much in school knowledge, but it was everything when it came to maturity. “Ahem.” Ophelia cleared her throat and put her hands on her hips as they stood a few paces from the giant tree.

Rory skidded to a stop, her mud-encrusted boots kicking up a cloud of dust. “Hi! You guys made it!” Unperturbed by being stopped by Ophelia, Rory ran to give them hugs and Charlie followed, more reserved than his companion but just as happy to see his friends.

“Hey,” Charlie said, pulling Arden into one of those half-hug half-handshake things. “How’s it going?” 

“Alright,” Arden replied, lifting a shoulder. With his group of friends, he wouldn’t even dare to bring up the explicit details of his home life.

“Good to hear.” Charlie understood Arden’s privacy a lot more than Rory did. He also had family troubles himself; another absentee parent situation. His father had gotten his mom, Hope, pregnant and then left, wanting nothing to do with Charlie. Hope’s friend, Ash, ended up stepping in and she and Hope fell in love. Together they raised Charlie to be the cool kid he was. Though skinny, you didn’t want to get into a physical tussle with him; Arden had tried once at nine years old and ended up with a broken nose and two dislocated fingers. Having two ex-diciples for parents definitely had its perks.

Rory had finished greeting Ophelia, and traded her off to Charlie. “Arden!” She exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. 

“Hey Rory,” Arden said, prepared for the squeeze he knew that came with Rory’s hugs. It was just her personality and after knowing her since she was born, he was just used to her amount of energy. “Madi and Luca holding up?” 

Rory made a face. Her older sister, Madi, was about eighteen year older which was quite an age gap. Rory hadn’t exactly been planned; her parents, Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin, weren’t planning to have a kid biologically; if at all. But then Rory made her way into the world and Clarke decided to keep the baby, unfazed because she knew Bellamy would be by her side. Rory-alike to Charlie-had cool parents. Technically most of Arden’s family friends did, because all their parents had helped save the human race. Though everyone said that Murphy and Emori were the coolest. The badass Sanctum Queen and unphazable Sanctum King were undeniably the heroes of every bedtime story told over the last twenty-four years. Arden was proud of his last name and the family he was part of, but that didn’t mean it was easy being Emori and John Murphy’s son.

Arden snapped out of his thoughts, and focused his attention on Rory’s rant about having her much older sister and her fiancé, Luca, living in the same house as her.  _ Stop it _ , he sternly told himself.  _ Don’t think about Mom and Dad. You can do that at night when no one else is able to watch you cry _ . He sniffed, and moved his lips into a smile for his friends.

After consoling Rory about Madi and Luca, and talking for a few more minutes as a group, the foursome set off for the Anomaly Village where they’d meet their other school friends. This outing was kind of going to be like an “End Of Summer” bash and Arden wouldn’t have it any other way. Ice cream, good friends and deep swimming; nothing was better than that.

The Anomaly Village was essentially a travelling post amongst other things. People travelling between planets transported to The Anomaly Village before heading into Sanctum or other parts of Planet Alpha. There were anomaly stations like The Anomaly Village on every planet, with camps of people in tents or small shacks surrounding them. Most of the places were only used once every few weeks, as people that owned them camped out for a couple nights on their way to a new planet. With school for the younger generation starting soon, it was only right that The Anomaly Village was packed with families heading to their main residences for the fall.

School took place during three seasons of the year; Fall (some called it Autumn), Winter and Spring. The summer months were the only break the kids got from education. Arden wished it was more but that had been the set rules by the chancellors of each city. Prior to his mother’s pregnancy with Everly, she had been set to start her fourth four-year-seat on the Sanctum chair. Having Everly changed that big time.

It was no use. It seemed as though everything Arden did was going to prompt thoughts of his mom.  _ Could be worse things to think about _ , Arden thought as he trudged along behind Ophelia and Rory. He couldn’t imagine what his father thought of daily, knowing that he helped to create the life that tore Emori’s apart.

“Excuse me.” Arden looked up and saw a familiar face staring at him from the nearest tent site. “It’s Arden, right?” 

“Yeah.” Arden nodded. “Jordan is that you?” He said, awe in his voice.

The man who Arden remembered as Jordan, smiled. His hair was greyer than the last time Arden had seen him, but his eyes were the same brown shade and his smile was still wide and genuine. “Yep, it’s me. As you can see, I’ve barely changed. You on the other hand, man, time sure flies when I’m traveling! You were a tiny kid when I last saw you and now, you’ve filled out and are gaining muscle on those arms.”

Puffing out his chest just a bit-compliments were always the way to Arden’s heart-Arden smiled back. “Thanks! I’ve been swimming tons this summer.” 

“Neat.” Jordan said. He was something of a legend amongst the Sanctum born-and-raised kids. They all knew of their parent’s friends’ kid, who really wasn’t a kid, as thanks to something called cryosleep, he was practically the same age as Arden’s parents. After the final battle, Jordan had taken a leave of absence from starting a life in Sanctum to travel the planets. He loved it so much, he never ended up settling down for more than a couple months at a time. The last time he had come back was over ten years ago, and he had brought his daughter along with him. If he was back in Sanctum, it must mean his daughter was around somewhere too. Looking around for the dirty-blonde hair he hoped he’d find, Arden remembered Jordan’s daughter as someone he liked; Harley Green was as tough and badass as the motorcycle she was named after.

“Looking for me?” A voice said from behind Arden. He spun around and laughed. Harley hadn’t really changed a bit over the last decade. “I’m taller if you hadn’t noticed,” Harley said, practically reading Arden’s mind, as he tried to place something new about the black boot and leather jacket-wearing girl he last saw her as.

“Haha, no kidding.” Arden stuck out his hand. “Arden, in case you forgot.” 

“Harley Delilah Green at your service.” Harley said, taking Arden’s outstretched hand and shaking it. On her wrist were intricate designs, similar to the face tattoo Arden’s mom had on her face. They were more detailed than Emori’s, and Arden thought they were insanely cool.

Arden nodded towards her wrist. “Nice markings,” he commented, hoping he sounded cool. With someone like Harley Green, you were desperate for her to think you were cool. Eager to hear what she had to say, Arden barely noticed Jordan leaving them to talk as he left to deal with the tent.

“Thanks! Dad met this guy on one of our adventures who did them. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.” Harley smiled and pushed her hair behind her ears. “So what brings you to this part of the forest? Don’t y’all live back in the village?”

“Town,” Arden corrected her. “Where we are now is the village. The Anomaly Village.” 

Harley rolled her eyes. “Right. You’re a smartass, you know that?” She winked and Arden noticed that her pale blue eyes sparkled when she was teasing. “They’re my grandma’s,” Harley said, reading Arden’s mind once again.

“You have your grandma’s eyes in your head?” Arden asked, with a laugh. He was teasing too, and a small butterfly feeling set off within his heartbeat.

“No you dumbshit. If you’re wondering why I have blue eyes and my parents had brown, it’s because my dad’s mom had blue eyes.” Harley explained. “Well at least I think my mom had brown eyes. I don’t remember her much. Dad says she did and I guess I’ll take his word on it. She traded my dad and I for the motorcycle life a long time ago, so that’s why I’ve never met her. She actually said she was going to Planet Alpha when she left us on Etherea shortly after I was born.”

Arden was surprised about how much Harley was sharing with him. She was so open with her story and her life. He wished he was more like this girl he had started talking to just minutes ago. Maybe if he was more open with people he wouldn’t be as likely to have random outbursts like the earlier one. “I’m sorry that your mom left. But it’s cool you have the same eyes as your grandma.” 

Shrugging, Harley sighed. “It’s not that big of a deal. Had she not left, I probably wouldn’t have agreed to come to Sanctum for school this year. I’m determined to find her, you know? And if Alpha was the last place I know her to have gone, then that’s where I’m going to start.” 

“Sounds good.” Arden could see his friends walking towards him, a tad annoyed. Shoot, he forgot that he had just stopped walking and didn’t tell them he got caught up talking to one of the coolest people he’d ever met. He waved them over, excited to introduce them to Harley. “Hey you guys, look who I found!” 

Apparently Ophelia wasn’t ready for introductions. First she wanted to give her best friend a piece of her mind. “Arden you can’t just leave the group without saying anything. The Anomaly Village is sketchy. We need to stick together. We only realized you were missing once we met up with everyone else.” Arden peeked over Ophelia’s shoulder and saw that their group’s number had doubled in size, meaning their other friends had joined them.

“Sorry, next time I’ll say something,” Arden promised. “But look who it is!”

Ophelia turned her attention to the newcomer. “I remember you,” she said. “Harley, am I right?” 

“That’s me, the one and only.” Harley winked. “You’re Phee?”

“Ophelia. Only my friends call me Phee,” Ophelia replied, with a cold tone in her voice. Clearly Arden ditching them to talk with Harley for a few minutes ruffled Ophelia’s feathers and she was going to take it out on Harley. Arden cringed; that was the one downside about his best friend, when she got mad she could be a bit aggressive. He worried about how Harley would react, especially since she hadn’t seen many of Arden and his friends in years. 

Though Arden shouldn’t have worried. Harley pushed up the sleeves on her leather jacket and smiled. “Sorry, Ophelia, my bad. My friends call me Harls but why would I tell you? Not like you’d be able to use it.” 

Taken aback Ophelia crossed her arms and just stared at Harley. They were almost the same height, meaning that their eye levels were practically even. “Damn, Ophelia’s met her match,” Arden heard Charlie whisper to Rory and the others. They all snickered because it was true; they hadn’t met a single kid in Sanctum willing to challenge Ophelia Levitt. She wasn’t mean or anything, She just held power, dominance, perhaps. Even Charlie, who probably could beat up half their school class single-handedly, avoided making Ophelia angry in any way.

The tense silence made Arden start to feel uncomfortable. He wasn’t cool with his best friend and who he hoped was his new friend, having conflict with each other. “Let’s go get ice cream and head out, okay Phee?” He said, tugging on her sleeve.  _ No leather jacket _ , Arden thought, then regretted it. He wasn’t about to compare his bestest friend in the whole world to this new girl he just met. No matter how cool and badass she was. 

“Fine. But this isn’t over.” Dropping her gaze, Ophelia spun on her heel and pushed through the small mass of people, not bothering to wait for everyone else.

Arden turned to follow after her, then stopped once he realized Harley’s hand was on his arm. “I’m glad I got to see you again,” Harley said, with a different smile on her face than the cheeky one she had shot at Ophelia. This one was kinder, and more like her father’s. “Maybe we could hangout sometime? Dad and I are hoping to stake out a place in Sanctum.” 

Arden knew Ophelia wouldn’t be cool with him hanging out with Harley considering the bad start they’d had. But he liked talking to Harley and definitely wanted to hear her markings story. So against his better judgement, he nodded, returning Harley’s smile. “Sure. That sounds good.” Maybe if he became friends with Harley, he could convince her that Ophelia was actually a really awesome person once you got to know her. “I can show you around the school grounds tomorrow if you want?” 

“I’d like that.” Harley looked over her shoulder. “I should probably help my dad, but I’ll see you tomorrow okay? And you should probably get back to your friends.” 

“Right.” Arden nodded. “If you’re staying here for a few days, I can meet you at the Sanctum Junction around eight tomorrow. Sanctum Junction is the only fork in the road and it has a giant tree at the turnoff. The three paths either take you to the farmhouse district where I live, Sanctum or here.” 

Harley nodded, understanding. “Cool. I’ll meet you there at eight. Nice to meet you, Arden,” She said, shooting him one last smile, before disappearing into the tent. The flaps of fabric swished behind her. Arden sighed, then turned to quickly jog after his friends.

On Skyring, the group had a blast. Ophelia forgave Arden for stopping and apologized for getting angry. She also complained about Harley Green, while Arden held his tongue. Other than that, their last day of summer was spent diving for the bottom of the deep end, dunking each other and playing stupid water games. After all of them were thoroughly soaked to the bone, they packed up and headed back to The Anomaly Village for a second round of ice creams. Goodbyes were said, and everyone trudged off for home in pairs. Ophelia walked Arden home and hugged him goodbye in his front yard. He waved at her until she disappeared from sight. Tired but happy, Arden pushed open the door to his home only to be greeted by Resley and Raven sitting in his living room with Murphy. They all waved hello, and he smiled, only to excuse himself for a shower.

As the hot water cascaded over his head, Arden thought that despite everything, right now his life was okay. His family dynamic was another story but he still had his group of friends, his best friend and Harley Green, his new friend. Things were starting to look up. Life wasn’t always beautiful, though right now, Arden was choosing to see the good.  _ Life gets better _ , Arden thought.  _ Not perfect, but better.  _ The dog days were coming to an end, with school starting the next day. For the first time in a while, Arden felt ready for anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you liked or wanted to discuss anything that happened! I’m also always interested in your theories/predictions for the future. 
> 
> And I apologize. This chapter ended up being 3988 words long which bascially doubled the total amount of words of the fic so far. I didn’t mean to make it that long but once I got writing I kept writing. Anyways, sorry. But Arden’s story (and others within this fic) demands to be told and I’m just here to give it to you. If that means long-ass chapters that means long-ass chapters ;) 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Always Be Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is a go! In this chapter you get to meet one of my very favourite characters in more depth. No angst, as a break from what we were all put through in 7x15. Can’t believe the 100 is over in less than a week.
> 
> Check my “end notes” for info on a Theories Poll. I’m pretty stoked about it. Anyways, enjoy this chapter with some cute fluffy Murphy family scenes and the big question y’all want to know: Is Emori still alive?

~4~

For all the birthdays Arden can remember and even the ones before that, he and Resley had celebrated together. Before Resley was born, of course, Arden had had one birthday to himself. Ever since his second birthday, when Uncle Jackson and Auntie Ray didn’t show up because she was having Resley, Arden has had to share. Although one would think a teenager wouldn’t want to share his birthday with someone two years  _ to the day _ younger than him, Arden didn’t mind. Resley was cool enough and extremely relaxed. Even when Raven accidentally dropped their cake one year, while Arden recoiled in horror, Resley just shrugged and offered to run home for the ice cream in their freezer. For someone about to turn fifteen years old, Arden thought she was okay.

It was tradition that on the day of Arden and Resley’s birthday, all their family friends would get together in celebration of them. Considering all the birthdays of their family-friend group, you can imagine how many times a year they all tried to get together. Normally, people were missing from the celebrations because life just got in the way or they weren’t on Alpha at the time. However for some reason, everyone was always around for Arden and Resley’s birthday. Maybe it was because it was around Thanksgiving, a twenty-first century celebration that some of the original Sanctumites had told them about. The whole town celebrated it, and the kids even got an extra day off school. Arden wasn’t exactly sure what he was giving thanks for, but the day off school was nice.

This year, Arden’s birthday fell on a Saturday. School on Monday was closed, which meant that Arden and his friends would be able to stay up late. They were “secretly” planning a friends-only get together, for the following night. Arden didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he had a feeling it would be a night of fun. That’s what his friends were; a whole heck of a lot of fun all smushed together. He’d also get to see them tonight, amongst the many adults. Arden liked his parents’ friends, and was even more pumped for this year, because Jordan and Harley Green would be joining them.

Returning to Sanctum for a more stable life while Harley finished school allowed Jordan to reconnect with many of his past friends. Among those, he especially liked to visit Hope. They had had a brief fling at one time, but nothing came out of it and they parted as friends. When Jordan ran off to see the neighbouring planets, Hope stayed behind and the two had lost contact. Now they were brimming with happiness about the thought of seeing each other again. Ash, formerly known as Echo to the adults, was happy for her wife to have found an old friend. It was good news all around.

On the Saturday morning of Arden’s seventeenth birthday, after getting up and washing his face, he practically flew down the stairs. The day of his birthday was always filled with family and friends, adults and kids alike, while the next night was when he and his buddies would be left alone and allowed to do whatever the hell they wanted. Though Arden would never admit it-except to maybe Ophelia-he loved his birthday chaos. He liked being the center of attention-with Resley-and having all his family there. His birthday was also the one day a year his family didn’t ask him how his mother was. They kept happy spirits because it was a happy day.

That being said, Arden still had his birthday tradition; eat breakfast with just their small family of six. Emori’s condition hadn’t gotten any better since she was last admitted to the hospital, but every year, the Murphy family brought their breakfast up to her. She was unresponsive to a certain degree, as she lay in the bed her husband has specifically constructed for her. 

Over the years, Arden and all the Murphy kids had shut themselves in Emori’s room. Whether that was to talk to her, for comfort purposes or just to have a place near her, they all had done it. And Murphy was known to sleep on the floor beside his wife’s bed, even though their old room that they used to share was still available. Their bedroom used to be as well kept as Emori’s new one. But over the years and months and days of Emori being unwell and lying stricken in bed, Murphy had completely left his room alone. It didn’t feel right to lie in the bed where three of their four kids had been created without his wife who played a very large role in making those lives.

Jackson had forbidden Murphy from sleeping in the same bed as his wife, for health reasons. If Murphy rolled over by accident and hit Emori, he could seriously injure her without meaning to. Which is why Murphy slept on the floor or leaned against the wall staring at his perfect girl until the wee hours of the morning.

Emori’s room was the family bonding place. No matter their ages and what feelings they were having towards each other at any point of life, when in Emori’s room, the family came together. It was where Arden found Alexia after her first boyfriend had broken her heart. Blue liked to lie on the floor at the end of the bed and stare and the same ceiling he knew his mother was looking at, just basking in the silence of the day. Arden was all for curling up in the chair by the window, either reading a book or just telling Emori about his recent life events. And Everly had claimed the underneath of Emori’s bed, where she hid with toys or just to sleep. Emori was the center of their family, and for their whole lives, they rotated around her. No one ever minded.

Arden came into the kitchen to see Alexia cooking breakfast at the stove and Blue putting icing on Arden and Resley’s cake. “Hey guys,” Arden said, signing for Blue. 

Alexia turned and smiled at her littlest brother. “Happy birthday Arden!” She said, reaching out her spare arm to wrap around her brother and give him a crushing hug. As always, he tried to wiggle out but secretly, he was loving every second. It wasn’t very often that the whole family put their feelings in check for a big celebration. Only happened a few times a year, and it made Arden crave his life “before Everly” even more.

After escaping Alexia’s grasp, Arden leaned over Blue’s shoulder to peek at the cake. Blue, knowing what his brother was doing, quickly grabbed a bowl and covered the cake, shaking his head at Arden. Laughing, Arden swiped a finger through the leftover icing and stuck it into his mouth. He sighed and smiled. “Heavenly,” he said. 

“You, get out of here,” Alexia said, waving her spatula at him. “You can go hangout with Mom while we finish up breakfast. Everly ran over to the Reyes’ to grab some butter because we’re out. And Dad’s getting your birthday present.” 

“What is it?” Arden asked, just to rile his sister up a bit. It was rare for her to be home because alike to Arden, she avoided home as much as possible. 

“Never you mind. Now shoo!” Alexia flapped her hand at Arden, who laughed and ran back upstairs. He went straight to the end of the hall and pushed the door open. “Hi mom,” he said, with a smile on his face.

Of course, Emori didn’t answer. Her eyes were closed, her face pale but her skin was warm to the touch. Arden grabbed his mom’s hand and squeezed it. That was the special sign for “I love you”. Emori had yet to squeeze back, for the Murphy family never told her their secret sign when she was doing better. They liked to keep it theirs. 

Arden started talking about anything and everything he could think about. He had already told her about meeting Harley Green weeks earlier, plus the fact that he hung out with her a lot after school. This year Ophelia was working hard to get better grades than previous years, so she didn’t have as much time on school day afternoons. Harley on the other hand, was always as free as a bird. Weekends were reserved for Ophelia, but on the weekdays, Arden spent most of his spare time with Harley. They had become fast friends and he really loved hanging out with her.

Arden was just finishing up a recap of Harley’s latest tale, when he heard footsteps outside the door. A rousing beginning of “happy birthday” started up, and the door opened. Alexia had a large tray in her arms, Blue was carrying the cake and Murphy and Everly were hiding something behind them as they filed in after. The smile on Arden’s face was infectious; he loved his birthday more than anything else in the world.

“Make a wish!” Everly said, when the song was over. Arden thought only for a second, looking over at Emori’s limp figure before blowing out his candles. 

Murphy comes over to give his son a hug. “Happy birthday kiddo,” he says, pressing a kiss to Arden’s forehead. Arden doesn’t try to struggle away from his dad because Murphy’s never been one for physical contact. Only with Emori. He didn’t mind if his kids sat in his lap growing up, but physical touch was always more of his wife’s thing. But over the years, as Emori’s condition deteriorated, he worked hard to let others into his personal space.

Everly also quickly hugged her brother, then moved away to grab the oddly-shaped package at the end of the bed. “Open your present!” She said, holding back a squeal. 

“Okay!” Arden took the rectangular box and pulled open the top flaps, just as eager as Everly, but not wanting to show it. Nestled inside, amongst many wood shavings, was a pair of old looking radios. They were large and chunky, with wires poking out the top. Any other kid would’ve been disappointed. But to Arden, this was the best present ever. “Thank you so much!” He exclaimed, pulling the radios out of the box, letting the packaging fall to the floor. 

Everly couldn’t contain her excitement one second more. “Auntie Ray and Dad fixed them up for you! And they fixed Resley up an identical pair. The machine shop had all the parts they needed.” 

Arden couldn’t imagine the time it had taken his dad and Auntie Ray to fix up these ancient pieces of technology for him. He was beyond thankful, because cool tech from Eligius or the twenty-first century always amazed him. Heck, Murphy even had a music player stolen from the old Sanctum. It hadn’t been brought out in years; not since Emori had had those few months of being better. Maybe if Arden asked at the right time, it could be brought out tonight for a dance or two. 

After Arden had finished examining his new prized possessions, he dug into his homemade breakfast and everyone had a slice of cake. Blue was the baker of the family, and had made three cakes; one to eat at breakfast and two to have when their friends came over. Ever since they were young, Arden and Resley had been in on the mutual agreement that flavours like chocolate and vanilla for a cake were boring. So for the past decade at least, they had had a pineapple upside down cake with peanut butter icing. Very much an exotic taste, and most of their friends hated it. Which was why Blue made a second cake for the evening, a plain chocolate, for the fact that most people’s taste buds weren’t at the same exotic level as Resley and Arden’s. 

The afternoon of Arden’s birthday was spent hanging around in Emori’s room and playing some old games on the big dining room table. Games in Sanctum were easy to come by, if you knew where to look for them. The Murphys had a large cupboard of one's from the twenty-first century, such as Monopoly and a few decks of cards. It was a rare occasion for everyone to sit down and play the games together, but on birthdays the family went all out. Arden laughed and joked for the whole afternoon, having the time of his life with his sisters, brother and father.

The Reyes’ showed up just before dinner. It was barely four-thirty o’clock, when a knock sounded at the door. Arden, who had just annihilated everyone at a silly card game called “go fish”, pushed his matches into the center of the table and went to answer the door.

“Hey birthday twin,” Resley said, standing with a small gift bag in her hand. Behind her was Raven, who looked a little perturbed. Resley rolled her eyes and said, “Mom just wanted to push right in but I told her that I wasn’t going to do that.” 

Arden laughed, leaning up against the door frame, an arm stretching to hold the door. “Seems smart. You never know what we could’ve been doing.” He raised his eyebrows, like he was asking her to dare continue.

Resley rolled her eyes again. “Don’t be weird Arden,” she scolded, and ducked under his arm to head inside. Raven shrugged apologetically at Arden, as she followed after her daughter. Lastly was Raven’s husband, someone who Raven had met from Bardo, the planet she headed to after The Last War. His name was Cayson, and in all honesty, the man still felt an outsider to the family-friend group he had “married” into. He was taller than Raven, with blonde hair and kind green eyes. Arden liked Uncle Cayson because he never ever asked how Arden’s family was doing. He heard all that he needed to hear from Raven, and didn’t want to pry. Arden appreciated the Reyes family more than he would ever admit, and it was mainly for them not asking intrusive questions like some of their other friends did.

Arden closed the door behind them and got busy helping them set some stuff up. Everly cleared the table of their recreational games and proved she could be of use by keeping out of their way. Resley and Arden laughed and reminisced about their previous birthdays together, while pulling extra chairs out of the storage space and moving the table against the wall. Murphy excused himself from prepping food to go check on Emori, to which Raven just waved him off. Cayson came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple. The three kids left in the room with them all made eye contact, then bolted for the door. Parental PDA was nothing to stick around for. While Everly practiced some sort of fancy handstand into a backbend on the front lawn, Resley hopped up onto the railing of the porch deck to wait. What for, Arden didn’t know. Probably their friends, even though they had over fifteen minutes before anyone was supposed to arrive. They had told everyone to come at five, but really that meant five-thirty. No one ever showed up on time. It was a given that people who didn’t really own watches were always going to be late.

Arden and Resley lapsed into silence, but it’s a comfortable one. Even though Resley is two years younger than Arden, he always feels like she seems older. To him, Resley radiates maturity and has never once had a problem being her easy-going self. It’s a quality Arden really appreciates about her, because she’s never one to become a problem in a tense situation. She’s just calm, collected and does what she sees fit. Hanging out with her is never awkward, although Arden can’t say he ever “hangs out” with Resley. They aren’t good friends outside of their family get-togethers, but she’s cool. Not a Harley Green level of cool, but cool enough for a family-friend.

In the distance, two figures can be seen walking towards the Murphy’s farmhouse. Everly runs over and climbs the porch to get a better glimpse of who it is. “Hey, people are early for once!” Everly shouts, and runs inside. Arden looks over at Resley, rolling his eyes. Sometimes he was envious of Resley, who had no siblings. No one to annoy them when all you wanted was time alone. This wasn’t one of those times, but Arden still couldn’t help but be reminded of the fact he had a younger sister when he saw Resley alone.

Arden jumped off the railing to greet his friend as she and Jordan neared them. “Happy birthday Arden!” Harley sprinted up the driveway and almost knocked Arden off balance with her hug.

Laughing Arden righted himself and quickly squeezed her back. “Hey Harls. Thanks so much.” He was happy that recently, Harley had been telling her to call him Harls. That meant she considered him a close friend, right?

Jordan caught up with his daughter, nodding at Arden. “Happy birthday, kid. You too,” he added, looking at Resley. Arden turned to face his birthday twin; he almost forgot she was there. 

Harley quickly pushed away from Arden’s arm slung over her shoulder and blushed, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “Hey, I’m Harley Green. I think we met back when we were kids.”

“Resley Reyes. It’s nice to see you again.” Resley, who was never one for small talk, shot a quick smile at Arden then leaped off the railing. “I think I’ll go inside to say hi to Emori. Haven’t seen her in a while.” With that, she opened the front screen door and disappeared with a swish of her wavy brown locks.

Harley took up Resley’s abandoned spot on the railing as she and Arden mutually agreed in their heads that they would wait for everyone else to arrive together. “Your mom okay?” 

Arden sighed, not really wanting to get into this conversation, especially on his birthday of all days. Harley was amazing and totally cool but sometimes it annoyed him that she didn’t know everything already like Ophelia and even Resley, did. He understood that it was because Harley had been practically MIA for most of his life. But he wished that she had asked around for tabs on their family instead of asking him. In the past couple weeks as they had been getting to know each other, Arden had been careful to not talk about his parents much. Even so, whenever Harley asked about Murphy or his mom, he evaded answering them like the plague.

Harley deserved an answer though. “She’s fine,” Arden said, the blatant lie sitting on his tongue like a piercing needle. He knew he would have to tell Harley one day. Just today, his birthday, was not that day.

“Okay.” Harley could tell Arden was tense about the situation, so she backed off. They chatted together for a while more, until more of their friends showed up. Charlie, Ash and Hope came laddled with some of Hope’s famous jellyfish pudding. It sounded horrible, but Arden actually didn’t mind it. Clarke and Bellamy came holding hands, Madi and Luca the same, towing poor Rory behind them. She mimicked sticking a finger down her throat once she came within view of Arden. He laughed, seeing her, but unfortunately so did Luca. He turned around and quickly messed up her dark brown curls, sending Rory into a fit of laughter. So much for not liking having Luca around all the time, Arden thought with a shake of his head.

“People change easily,” Harley commented, watching him watch Rory. “Trust me. My mom apparently thought she wanted to stay with me. Turns out Dad trusted her on that and she changed her mind.”

Everything Harley said had to be brought back to her mother. It hurt Arden more than anything, because he couldn’t even think about  _ his _ mom without tearing up. He swiped at the water forming at the corners of his eyes and moved away from the porch to greet the Blake’s.

The Levitt family was the last to arrive. Ophelia was holding a large gift bag and practically pushing her family forward, begging them to move faster. Augustus, known as Gus by everyone except his father, carried one of Levitt’s prized possessions; his holographic projector. “Birthday movie treat,” Uncle Levitt said, when it was his turn to hug Arden ‘hello’. 

Arden beamed, and forgot all about being upset about his mom. “Thank you so much!” It was a real treat for Levitt to dig out his old stuff just for a birthday party. Though as mentioned before, this was more than just a birthday party to celebrate Arden and Resley. It was a time for them to reconnect and hangout. A time when everyone made it to a celebration. The only other time was Christmas.

Ophelia pointedly ignored Harley, as she hugged her best friend. “Happy birthday you idiot,” she said.

“Thanks Phee.” He hugged her back. Everyone went into the farmhouse then, to chat and hangout. It was party time, now that everyone had arrived. Arden loved this night so much. He was polite and all with the adults, joked around with the kids and even managed to keep two different conversations going with Harley and Ophelia without much difficulty. The food was great, the kid-version of Monty’s moonshine was just right and Arden’s family was having the time of their lives. They were being themselves, and not worrying about Emori. Raven had promised to sit with her for most of the night, so Murphy could actually talk to people. Arden spots him clinking beer bottles with Bellamy, who for once isn’t attached to Clarke’s side.

The time for cake arrived sooner than Arden thought it would. Everyone sang happy birthday first to him, then to Resley. She didn’t mind going second, and it was only fair, for Arden was born two years earlier. They dug into their “crazy concoction” of a cake, leaving the plain chocolate one for everyone else. Cake crumbs littered his face, but that didn’t make Arden stop smiling. This was the highlight of his entire year.

After presents (where he got some other cool gadgets from the adults, a sweet leather patch with his name on it from Harley and a mystery card from Ophelia), the kids went outside to watch a show on Levitt’s holographic projector. The sky was beginning to get dark, leaving a smear of pink and red in the sky. 

Arden glanced up at the sky, before realizing he was going to be late. He jumped up and ran to the front porch where he and Resley had been sitting earlier. He didn’t bother to tell Ophelia where he was going; she knew that he disappeared for a short while every night on his birthday.

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” Arden pants, swinging himself onto the railing next to Resley. The porch was kinda their spot to hangout, at least ever since Resley had dared Arden to do a flip off of it at seven and he’d climbed up only to get scared. She was five at the time, and way braver than him. Resley had managed to coach him how to get down off the railing and gave him a quick hug to reassure him he was okay. Now every year on their birthday eve, they come out to watch the last of the sunset fade away together. The birthday twins, people call them. It fits perfectly. 

Calm as ever, Resley smiled at Arden. “No big deal. I knew you’d remember eventually. Somewhere in there, you’ve got a brain.”

Arden gave his friend a light push on the shoulder. “Hey, that’s rude!” 

Resley laughed. “Nah, it’s just the truth.” She looked down at her lap, where a small satin bag sat. “Anyways, here’s your birthday present from me.” 

“Oh, thanks.” Arden took the bag she offered and handed her a paper-wrapped book in return. They always exchanged their personal birthday gifts to each other in private. It was tradition for them.

Resley tore off the wrapping paper to find that Arden had repolished one of Emori’s old, blank journals for her. It had a leather cover and a satin piece of string that allowed you to mark a page in the journal. The pages were a bit stiff, but nothing a gentle bend couldn’t fix. “Wow, it’s amazing,” Resley said, shocked at such a gift. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind?” 

“Nah. She never uses them; the only one she keeps near her are the ones from when she and Dad played primes. Apparently they have meaning.” 

“Oh okay.” A gentle hand caressed her leather bound book, Resley’s fingers tracing the intricate cover design. “Thank you so much, Arden. I feel kinda bad because mine isn’t nearly as good a gift as this.”

Arden shook his head, refusing to allow her to say that. “No way! You’ve got two mechanical geniuses for parents, with no exception to the talent being passed onto you. I’m sure whatever you’ve crafted by hand from scrap metal is just as awesome.” He proved himself to be right, as he opened the satchel and found a small metal box with a key. “Hey, is this for little trinkets? Like the one we saw in town last month?” 

Resley nodded. “I heard you tell Ophelia you always wanted your own box but didn’t like how the ones in town were really big. So I cut some metallic strips myself and welded them together. There’s only one key, so as long as you have it on you at all times, no little siblings can snoop.” She winked at him, almost reading his mind about Everly’s prying eyes.

“Thank you so much, Res,” Arden told her, pulling her into a short hug as best he can while still sitting on the railing. “I love it so much.”

“I’m glad.” Just like before, a comfortable silence lapsed over the pair, as they sat on the railing and let the sky go dark around them. They stayed until the first start twinkled, then Arden went back to his movie and Resley went back to hanging with Everly and some of the other kids closer to her age. Meeting each other after all the craziness had taken place, was their routine. It was something he looked forward to; a moment alone with his birthday twin. Resley wasn’t Ophelia or Harley, but he appreciated her. He was glad to have her in a time of dire circumstances. He hoped she liked the journal he gave her and maybe she’d even use it to draw in. Whatever happened, he was thankful to have such good friends by his side. The love he felt for them was all he needed to be okay.

It was a great way to end the best day of the year. Arden only wished that every day, every single day, could be like this. His family, almost carefree and happy, worries behind him. Although Arden also knew it couldn’t be like this until Emori, the light of their family, shone again-got better. He just hoped that his birthday wish and his prayers every day, were enough to bring his mom back to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEORIES: I want to know your theories about the story so far! You can find the poll I made [here](https://forms.gle/bMbWxG1m7BFPx9A26) It will essentially never “close” and I’ll also include it in Chapter 5.
> 
> In case you noticed, there is finally a total on the amount of chapters this fic will have! Currently there will be 30 chapters, however a few chapters I am still on the fence about. If anything, a few chapter ideas will be combined and there will be 27-28 chapters. But for now, there are 30 chapters that include 2 epilogues.
> 
> I hope that y’all are ready to stick around for a while as I painstakingly update this only once a week. FYI there will also be a hiatus about two-thirds of the way through the story. I’ll leave y’all on a nice cliffhanger for that chapter. It won’t be for a while, so until then, stay tuned! Until next week :)


	5. Friends Don't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, this is a week later than planned. In my defense, Alls was away last weekend and apparently I can’t write without my Beta Producer. Anyways, this has been one hell-of-a-week for me and I bring you one hell-of-a-chapter. Hope y’all won’t hate me after this (some of you might be really happy, who knows?)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

~5~

It was Athena’s job to watch at the front window for Arden’s arrival. As the younger sister of Ophelia, it was a miracle she had even let her  _ have  _ a job, as the Levitt sister’s didn’t always get along. The family’s basement setup had been completely changed in order for Ophelia’s surprise party to go without a hitch. She’d moved the couches and the chairs to all circle around the wooden card table. There was a huge open space for games that didn’t need a table, like spin the bottle or Truth Or Dare. Last but not least, there was another long table covered with food, because wherever there was a group of hungry teenagers, there needed to be food.

Ophelia had been planning this birthday party for weeks. She, Rory and Charlie had mainly been in on it, with a couple of their other school friends coming as well. Arden was pretty popular at school; whether that was due to who his parents were or just because he was cool, Ophelia didn’t know. She loved her best friend for who he was, and definitely not because his parents were John and Emori Murphy.

Athena, who was about Everly’s age and mostly just a pesky younger sister to Ophelia, yelled down the basement stairs anytime someone arrived. Ophelia yelled back that she didn’t need that information-she only needed to know when Arden got there. Charlie arrived first, carrying drinks and some flowers. They were roses from Aunt Hope’s garden, her favourite white roses. In order for Charlie to end up with them here, at Opehlia’s house, meant that he either stole them or Aunt Ash cut them. She never understood why Hope just left them to grow freely and overtake their other garden vegetables. Every chance she got, she cut a few flowers off the bush. And every single time, Hope caught her and gave her an earful for it.

Ophelia was ready for the story behind the flower brining when Charlie handed them over. “Mom A cut them when Mom H was in the shower. There’s not much to know except that Mom A got a shower hose to the face.”

“Excellent,” Ophelia said with a laugh. “Wait, where’s Rory? Thought she was coming with you.”

“Clarke said she was still getting ready when I stopped by. There was no point waiting so I just came here. She barely lives five minutes away so I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” 

“Okay.” Ophelia and Charlie added the drinks to the table.

“Julia’s here!” Athena shouted, opening the basement door. Opehlia rolled her eyes at her sister, then waved. “Hey Julia, how’s it going?” 

Julia, who had grown up in Sanctum with Ophelia, smiled and hugged her friend. “It’s good! Got to see my cousin’s new baby today, which was fun. Excited for the party?”

Nodding, Ophelia spread her arms out wide. “As you can see, I’ve been busy organizing.”

“Looks great.” Julia smiled, then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “When’s Arden showing up? And who’s bringing him?”

“He’s supposed to come alone.” Ophelia said, gritting her teeth. She really didn’t want Harley Green to ruin the party, so she purposefully didn’t invite the new girl. Harley Green was as rough and tough as the motorcycle her name derived from. At least Ophelia’s pretty sure that Harley was named after one of those old motorcycles. She’s not totally sure, just whatever rumours she’s heard.

“Okay.” Julia sat on one of the couches, and Charlie sat too. The silence was uncomfortable; Julia wasn’t really aware of what was going on. Charlie made an accurate guess that Ophelia was thinking about Harley Green, because of the way her eyebrows had narrowed. He had witnessed the showdown the day before school started, and knew Ophelia wasn’t going to forget Harley Green’s first impression. It was hard to, when all the pair did at school was argue.

Ophelia eventually snapped out of her funk and changed her attitude. Rory arrived, which made Charlie smile, plus their other friends from school. Beck’s parents had both been retired disciples, Trinity was the daughter of Trey and Max was part of the Bardo civilization as well. The group of eight was all pretty tight-knit and loved spending time together. Arden’s birthday was just another excuse to mess around and learn more secrets about each other. Ophelia was really looking forward to Truth Or Dare. The adults sometimes played a more alcoholic version of it, but Ophelia liked the older version; silly dares plus gossipy truths equals a game of fun. Once Arden got there, everything would’ve gone perfectly smoothly. Ophelia could hardly wait for her best friend to arrive. 

»«

“Truth or Dare?” Ophelia asked, shooting a glare towards Harley, her eyes narrowing. She was not happy that her perfect birthday party for her best friend had been ruined because a  _ certain someone _ decided to show up. To be fair, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Arden had run into Harley while walking to Sanctum and they both showed up on Ophelia’s doorstep. Ophelia’s mom, Octavia, could hardly tell Harley to go home as it was already late as it was. Now it was midnight and everyone was playing Truth or Dare. Throughout the whole night thus far, Ophelia and Harley had been taking digs at each other. Everyone else was trying their best to lighten the mood, especially Arden. He hadn’t meant to force Harley’s presence on his friend group. It had just been really bad timing to run into her. Arden would never tell Ophelia, but secretly he was glad Harley was there too. He liked hanging out with her, despite only knowing her for a couple weeks. If only she and Ophelia got along better.

Harley met Ophelia’s gaze with a stare just as fierce. “Dare.”

Arden, who was sitting between Julia and Charlie, took a sip of his Jo Juice. His contribution to the party, though it was his birthday celebration, was sneaking some Jo Juice out his father’s closet. It’s not like Murphy ever drank; he hadn’t seen Emori had gotten sick last time, without getting better. Emori always said drinking was meant to be in celebration, and once she went into her last immobilization phase, Murphy had said nothing was worth celebrating if Emori wasn’t awake to be there.

Ophelia smirked, then crossed her arms. “I dare you to run to the machine shop and steal something from it. You have to bring back evidence, obviously.” 

Harley stood up immediately. “Done.” For someone who had just come back to Sanctum, she knew where everything was pretty quick. “Seems like an easy dare from you. You just wait until I ask you something.”

Rolling her eyes, Ophelia muttered under her breath, “Cheap shot.” Harley luckily didn’t hear, for she was already running up the basement stairs and out the side door.

While she was gone, Charlie and Arden talked. They were pretty good friends-not as good as Ophelia and Arden obviously-but got along. Emori and Ash were really close and when Emori had been well, Charlie and Arden had had a lot of playdates. Charlie was a year younger than Arden, but what with all of them going to the same school, it really didn’t matter.

“You talked to Bellamy about Rory yet?” Arden asked, making sure to keep his voice low. Rory was busy talking to Julia and Max; she wasn’t too interested in what the other boys were talking about.

Charlie looked down at his own glass which just had water. “No.”

Arden placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Just do it. Otherwise Bellamy’s going to be mad you didn’t tell him sooner.”

“I know.” Charlie grimaced. “I do not want the wrath of Mr. Blake upon me. What do you think he’ll say, when he finds out I kissed his daughter? He explicitly told me last year when I almost did that I wasn’t until Rory was allowed to date. She’s not seventeen yet and I already kissed her.” 

“He’s gonna kill you,” Arden said. Charlie gulped; he knew that kissing Rory behind the Sanctum pond wasn’t the best idea. But he just couldn’t help himself, plus Rory liked him back. It sucked that the Blake’s wouldn’t let Rory date until seventeen, which was still over a year away. How the hell was he supposed to wait until then?

Shrugging, Charlie sighed. “I’ll go to him after school this week, swear on it.” 

“Make sure you do.” Arden looked up to see Harley clatter to the bottom of the stairs again She had a dishevelled circuit box in her hand, but other than that looked otherwise okay. Arden smiled at his friend and gave her a thumbs up. “Looks like you made it there and back without getting caught.”

Harley nodded. “I’m stealthy, remember?”

“Right.” Arden laughed. Everyone else joined the circle again, Ophelia displeased that Harley hadn’t been caught. “Your turn now.” 

Harley turned to Max. “Max, truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Max tipped back another sip of Jo Juice.

“I dare you to swap shirts with Arden.”

Max looked over at his friend. “Okay. You cool with that, A?” 

Arden shrugged. “Sure.” He pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it at Max. Max pulled off his own shirt and handed it to Arden, who slipped it over his head.

Harley noticed Ophelia was staring at Arden, as he sat shirtless in the basement rec room for a few seconds while the switch took place. Instead of calling Ophelia out right then and there, she decided to wait for her revenge.

Max asked Julia what her biggest fear was (she answered failure on a test), Julia made Beck do three cartwheels in a row and then balance a spoon on his nose (which he actually was able to do) and then Beck shocked everyone by telling Rory to spill who she’s kissed.

Rory, who normally loved to talk and gossip, was reserved for once. Mainly because everyone knew that she wasn’t allowed to kiss anyone before she was seventeen. Rory would’ve told everyone if she knew they could keep a secret. Most of them could, but it was Harley making Rory hesitant. Would the new girl spill her secret, one that could get the other person in trouble? If it was just her at stake, Rory wouldn’t hesitate. However when it came to Charlie, she was more willing to hold back from spilling.

“I can’t say because it’s not my secret to tell,” Rory said. That was the one line exception to their truth or dare game: if it wasn’t the asked’s secret to tell, they didn’t have to answer. And everyone was supposed to accept this and move on.

A fist in his mouth, Arden tried to keep back a chuckle. Technically the only reason he knew about Charlie and Rory’s kiss was because he overheard them talking about it at school. He wasn’t about to share their secret, but Arden was really interested in what Mr. Bellamy Blake would tell his ex-girlfriend’s son for kissing his daughter. Ash and Bellamy had dated for a few years a long time ago and split up on neutral terms. Though Arden could guess, and Charlie too, that he still wouldn’t be pleased.

Charlie smacked Arden upside the head. It was a gentle smack, and luckily no one noticed. Arden shot a glance at his friend and laughed some more. “Rory, your turn to ask,” Charlie said, trying to move past the subject.

Rory scanned the circle then preyed on Arden, who inwardly groaned. “Arden, truth or dare?”

“Truth.” Rory’s dares were always way too chaotic for him. He knew his friends well enough to know whether to pick truth or dare, depending on who was asking him.

“Who would you most like to kiss out of everyone here?” There was a gleam in Rory’s eye as she asked Arden his fate.

This was one of Rory’s better Truths, and Arden carefully weighed his choice of answer. If he said any of the guys, everyone would know it was a joke but would move on. If he said Rory, Charlie might kill him, and that wouldn’t even be true. Julia and Trinity were like cousins to him, so picking them would just be weird. In all honesty, he only really wanted to kiss one person in this world. He couldn’t exactly say who that was though, as it would ruin  _ everything _ .

Arden squirmed, as everyone leaned in to hear his answer. Arden just decided to go with the first person that came to mind, whether it was the truth or not. “Ophelia.”

Everyone exploded. “What?” shouted a few people. Harley just looked perplexed and Ophelia, well she was blushing a deep rouge from the roots of her it seemed. Charlie just shook his head and laughed.

He leaned over to Arden, as Arden sat immobilized, shocked as to what he just said. “Ain’t no such thing as a best friend who’s a girl, am I right?” 

Arden shoved his friend. “Shut up.” He blushed, unable to meet anyone’s gaze. “Harley, truth or dare?”

Harley, determined to get back at Ophelia for earlier, was still surprised at Arden’s answer. She had been sure he liked her, even if it was just a crush. Hearing that Arden actually liked Ophelia, or at least wanted to kiss her, put a damper on things. “Neither. Let’s change the game.”

No one said anything. Normally it was Ophelia who initiated things like this, but right now, she was still shell-shocked by Arden’s truth. When Beck bumped her shoulder, she just nodded. Harley took that as an “okay” and grabbed the empty Jo Juice bottle off the nearby table.

“You guys ever heard of Seven Minutes In Heaven?” Harley asked, setting the bottle in the middle of the circle.

“No.” Julia, who wasn’t all that surprised at Arden’s outburst, had recovered the fastest.

“No big deal. I learned it on Bardo I’m pretty sure, hanging with some of the junior soldiers. Anyways, there’s a bottle in the middle and you spin it twice, making sure it lands on a different person each time. The two people it lands on get locked in a closet or small space for seven minutes, while everyone else tries to listen in on their conversation or whatever. It’s basically a chance for true thoughts to be said, or whatever.” 

The group nodded, slowly understanding what Harley said. “Sounds doable,” Charlie said. He decided to rescue Arden, and grabbed the bottle. “I won't bother spinning it twice. Whoever it lands on, can get into the closet with me.”

Harley smiled. “There’s also that way to play. Phee, where’s a closet down here?”

Ophelia snapped out of her shock long enough to glare at Harley for using her nickname. “Only friends,” she shot back, then stood up. “First door down the hall is the extra bedding closet. We can sit on the floor there.”

“Okay.” Charlie gave the bottle a wicked spin, and it went around and around. It finally settled on Trinity, who stood up. She and Charlie were good friends enough and liked to discuss the pros and cons of different sports together.

“Start the timer,” Trinity said, crawling into the small closet space with Charlie right behind her. Arden’s curiosity was piqued as to what was going to go down during this new game.

“Oh also, what happens in the closet stays in the closet!” Harley shouted, loud enough for those in said closet to hear her.

They could hear Charlie and Trinity’s muffled replies. While they waited for Max’s watch to hit the seven minute mark, the group munched on snacks and sat as close to the closet as possible. It was hard to hear through the wooden door, and only bits of a conversation could be made out. 

Seven minutes seemed to fly by, and soon Max called out “Time!” Julia pulled open the closet door to reveal Charlie and Trinity having an arm wrestling match. Everyone laughed, and seeing how easy this was made Julia want to have a turn.

She spun and got Harley. The two disappeared, and everyone went back to hanging out. Next up was Ophelia and Rory and they came out laughing. Arden wanted a turn, and Trinity went back into the closet with him. It was stuffy and the seven minutes seemed to go by faster than he thought. No one blinked an eye when they emerged, and Arden was beginning to think that nothing big would blow up. Had they finally found a game with no problems? Arden didn’t know, but what he did know was that he now had to pee. Drinking the smuggled Jo Juice made him have to go, so he stumbled up the stairs to go use the backroom.

It was Harley who had the bottle, and she stood with her hands on her hips. “Who’s up next?” No one said anything. It was past three-A.M. and everyone was getting tired. Harley, though, wasn't used to the energy dying off because on her travels, three-A.M. was early for people because most were up all night. There was silence for a few beats longer, then Harley put her hands on her hips. “Come on guys, don’t give up before the game gets good.”

“Fine, I’ll go.” Ophelia, who had been quiet for most of the game, stood up. She grabbed the bottle from Harley’s grasp and set it on the carpet. “Stop bitching we’ll play the damn game.”

“Touche,” Harley said. “Guess you’re not pleased another girl was shut in the same closet as the guy you’d most like to kiss. Oh yeah, did I mention it was obvious?”

“Shut up.” Ophelia gave the bottle an aggressive spin, and the group fell silent as it went around.

When it finally started to slow, Ophelia’s heart beat fast. Who would she be forced to sit with for seven gruelling minutes in a dark, hot closet? If it was Harley, she’d just quit right then and there. The bottle inched to a stop and Ophelia looked up, dreading to see who it landed on.

It was directly between Beck and Trinity. Both had already been in the closet a few times; what was once more? They were about to ask who was going to go, when Arden reached the bottom of the stairs, back from his trip to the bathroom. “Who’s turn is it?” He asked, walking towards the group.

“Ophelia just spun.” Harley glanced at the bottle which was pointing between Beck and Trinity, and followed it’s line, right to Arden at the bottom of the stairs. “And you’re in the closet with her.”

Everyone stared at the two of them. It had been over an hour since Arden’s confession, but it’s not like he and Ophelia had talked about it and whether or not Arden actually meant it. He guessed now was their chance. “Alright, you good for this Phee?” Arden asked.

“Um, sure.” She followed him to the open door and crawled in. Arden quickly told Max to start the timer. Then he disappeared, the door closing behind him.

Ophelia’s heart was pounding as she pulled her knees up to her chest to allow Arden some more space. They both didn’t speak for a while, then Arden said, “I didn’t mean to say your name.”

“You didn’t?” Her tone was surprised, as she tried to hide the sadness she felt.

“Well, I didn’t mean to say anyone’s really. I just thought of the first person to pop into my head. You being my best friend, well it’s really just a compliment yours came up first.” Arden let out a nervous laugh.

Ophelia didn’t say anything at first. “So you don’t want to kiss me?” 

“What? No, that’s not it.” Arden paused, realizing the trap he was in. Wait, since when did Ophelia care if he wanted to kiss him or not? Did she want to kiss him? He was afraid to ask.

Luckily, he didn’t have to. “The thing is Arden, I think I wanted to kiss you.” Ophelia let out a huff of breath. “Actually, I know I do.”

Speechless, Arden opened his mouth. “Phee, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I think I like you,” Ophelia whispered. Arden’s heart beat loudly in his chest; was this the moment he had been waiting for? He wasn’t sure the love he felt for Ophelia was romantic, but the slightly alcoholic Jo Juice in his system was giving him a buzz. He turned his head towards her and stared into her light-coloured eyes.

His head was swimming and he wasn’t even one-hundred percent sure of what was happening. Arden didn’t think of the consequences or the seconds ticking down on the pair’s seven minutes in the closet, as he leaned closer to Ophelia.She closed the last of the distance, pressing her lips to hers.

It was soft, for a first kiss. Nothing weird about it, yet everything was weird about because this was  _ Ophelia _ . His best friend and someone he never thought he’d feel anything for. Though in that moment, as her lips hit his, he realized he liked her back. He, Arden Murphy, had fallen for his best friend. Was this how Charlie felt the other week when he had kissed Rory for the first time? It seemed like falling for your best friend was inevitable for them.

It was only a matter of time. Arden and Ophelia were about to become something more. They had crossed that boundary in their friendship to a newfound relationship. It was kind of like what Clarke and Bellamy had found after all those years of them knowing each other. Though Arden was still unsure, relief sparked its way across his chest. He moved a hand to Ophelia’s face, cupping her face gently. 

Unfortunately, at that moment, the closet door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how about that cliff-hanger? Any thoughts about Ophelia and Arden confessing their feelings for each other? Their shipname is #Opharden :)
> 
> THEORIES: I want to know your theories about the story so far! You can find the poll I made [here](https://forms.gle/bMbWxG1m7BFPx9A26) It will essentially never “close”. There will be a new poll in chapter 9 & 10 (at least it’s currently planned for then)
> 
> Also I said that name inspirations/reasoning for the Murphy kids would be included in this chapter’s notes so here you are:
> 
> ~The Murphy Kids’ Names~
> 
> In case you guys wondered, here are the reasons/inspiration behind each of the Murphy children’s names  
> *both Alexia and Rhys “Blue” have been used in my previous fanfics (specifically [Three](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584701), [Little Thief](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516808) & [The Life We Seek To Find](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25840591))
> 
> [Alexia Murphy] - Alexia’s name comes from John’s father’s name of “Alex”. It is the more feminine version and as soon as I thought about a Memori child (practically right after their proposal episode) I knew their first daughter had to be named Alexia. And here we are. 
> 
> [Rhys “Blue” Murphy] - Rhys was named completely last minute on a previous fic I had written. I wanted his name to be “Blue” because that is the colour of Murphy’s eyes, and Emori’s gorgeous dresses season 7 (I think it just is their colour, you know?), but I didn’t feel like “Blue” was a good enough name. So I stuck his “real” first name as Rhys and he’s just called Blue.
> 
> [Arden Murphy] - If you didn’t know, both Emori and her brother Otan, were named after the Memorial Botanical Garden in British Columbia, Canada (my home country!). So when I needed a name for Memori’s third child, I did my best to find one that I could remove from “Memorial Botanical Garden”. Arden fit the bill :)
> 
> [Everly “Ever” Murphy] - The hardest child to name BY FAR, even though Blue was difficult at the time of writing his first name drop. I wanted to call her Ever (you know me, a sucker for Memori quotes/words such as “forEVER”) but I didn’t feel like that name as a standalone was good enough. So I asked my followers on instagram to help me come up with names for her, not telling them what I had originally planned. One of my IBFs actually suggested Everly and it stuck with me immediately. Also another IBF said that “Ever” could be for “forever” and “ly” could be for “love you”. I love that so dang much!
> 
> After a long search I finally found the 4 perfect names for the perfect couple’s perfect children. Man, I used “perfect” a lot :) Let me know if you want to know the inspirations behind my other “original character(s)” names either in the comments or DM me [@memoriisendgame](https://www.instagram.com/memoriisendgame/) on Instagram. Also checkout my Instagram or [Tumblr](https://memoriisendgame.tumblr.com) for updates and more info on this fanfic!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! The love I'm getting on this fic is incredible. Please leave a review if you want :)


	6. Trust Me, You'll Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my dedicated reader,
> 
> I want to apologize to begin with. This will not be the last time I make this apology while working on this fic and I’m not even trying to hide that. My apology is about leaving this for like 4 weeks and only coming back to it now. I’m in a really tough program for my final year of high school and I was so stressed for the past month. I also had really bad writer’s block (I started this chapter over about 5 times).
> 
> I really hope to have another update in a week, but with school being fast paced and very demanding, I’m honestly not sure. If you follow my [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/memoriisendgame/) I’ll try to post weekly notices about chapter updates. Life’s just hectic but I’m thankful for y’all for sticking around.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter is for all my Bellarke shippers reading this fanfic. Since The 100 ended, I admit I have been convinced of shipping AU Bellarke. This chapter is my nod to you guys, and I hope you enjoy. For those who don’t ship Bellarke, there’s good Arden/Murphy family content and even Opharden perhaps, because I know some of y’all ship them (and rightfully so!) Happy reading!

~6~

It had been over twenty-four hours since Arden had last seen his friends. After the whole kiss-in-the-closet scandal happened, the party had broken up immediately. Everyone went home (friends made sure they got there safely), Arden included but he made sure to thank Ophelia and his friends for the party. Since Harley lived near him, they walked home together extremely late that night, or super early that morning, depending on the time looked at. On the quick walk home, Arden and Harley didn’t speak, though it was obvious Harley wanted to ask about The Kiss. Luckily she had the sense to hold her tongue, and after Arden made sure she was home in one piece, he ran back to the Murphy family’s farmhouse faster than ever. Somehow, Arden managed to sneak into his house, making sure the door didn’t creak and ran up the stairs to his room. But there was something eerie about climbing under his cold sheets, and the closet looming next to his head that made it hard to forget what had happened in a similar closet only an hour or so before. There was only one bedroom in the house without a closet, so that’s where Arden ended up, in the chair in the corner of his mother’s bedroom. He wrapped a discarded blanket around him, then stared at his mother. Stared at her hair, the similar locks he, his brother and sisters all inherited. The shallow rise and fall of her chest told Arden that she was breathing. Breathing with her calmed him, and even though he was sure his heart was still racing, he was definitely less stricken.

Arden wasn’t the only one in his family to listen to Emori breathe. Murphy did it more often than any of the kids, though Arden placed a close second. Everly was more tempted to be in Emori’s room if someone else was already in there, unless it was broad daylight. Something about the fact that Emori could stop breathing or get worse at any point. Alexia and Blue worried about Emori but left her room alone at night, wanting to sleep in their own beds. But it was that day, in the depths of morning-almost sunrise-that Arden finally slept with the whistle of his mother breathing near him finally letting him be at peace.

When Arden opened his eyes, sunlight was beating down on him through the window. The wall clock above Emori’s bed told him it was past noon, a shocking time for Arden to sleep in until. Normally he was up-and-at-’em early; it was Blue and Everly who slept late. Although the events of last night surely contributed to his exhaustion and need for sleep.

Clearly, the events that were to come also required Arden to be well rested. The second he reached the bottom of the stairs, a shriek went up from the kitchen. “Arden, what the actual heck!” Alexia said, rushing over.

“Good afternoon to you too,” Arden said, rubbing at his eyes. “And what are you talking about?” He asked, going to the fridge to get some juice.

Alexia rolled her eyes. “Good afternoon. Don’t play that innocence with me, I know you kissed your best friend.” 

Arden froze, the container of juice stuck in his hands. He slowly turned to look at his sister. It had been about nine hours since the whole thing went down and his older sister already knew? News travelled fast among their friends and friends’ kids, faster than Arden ever thought. Trying to buy some time, before he was forced to explain what happened, Arden asked, “How did you find that out?”

“August told me. I was in Sanctum grabbing some groceries and ran into him. He said that Ophelia was flipping out about something that happened at the party and since Octavia and Levitt had left around sunrise for their monthly trip to Bardo, it was the choice between Ophelia’s brother or sister to listen to her problems. It was an easy choice, because we all know how much Ophelia loves her little sister.” Alexia let out a laugh, and Arden couldn’t help but crack a grin. Ophelia’s feelings for Athena were similar to that of Arden’s for Everly, but unlike Arden, Ophelia had no reason to dislike her younger sister; she just did and they argued constantly.

“Anyways,” Alexia said, continuing with her story, “You can imagine my surprise when I heard that my brother and his best friend had been lip-locking early that morning. I practically raced through the rest of my shopping and back home.”

The juice sloshed into Arden’s cup. He had moved again while Alexia was talking and managed to pour himself his much-needed drink. Taking a sip, he suddenly became very interested with the bottom of his cup as he spoke. “Who else knows? Did you tell anyone after August told you?”

“Everly and Blue know. They were waiting to help me unpack the groceries when I got home and I was just busting to tell. Knowing Everly, she probably went and told Resley.” Alexia looked at her brother. “That’s only like four people, five including August. Who was at the party that could’ve told someone?” 

“Like all my friends. Harley Green knows too.” Arden put his face in his hands. “I didn’t even kiss her. She kissed me.” 

Alexia opened her mouth to say something, when the door opened and in ran Everly. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Arden standing in the kitchen. “Is it true?” She asked. “Are you and Ophelia a thing?”

With a heavy sigh, Arden nodded, then shook his head. “Yes we kissed, and no, we’re not a thing. Why? Did you hear someone say we were?”

Everly ignored Arden, shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it,” she said, gaping at her brother. “You really kissed your best friend?”

Arden, who was really tired of the fuss everyone was making, rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I kissed Phee. Technically she kissed me. So what?”

“This is kind of a big thing, A,” Alexia said, folding her hands and shaking her head in shock.

As if his sisters grilling him wasn’t enough, Blue, who had been watching everyone’s hand from the dining room table, decided to chip in to the conversation. “I don’t even know what to say.” He signed.

“I don’t know either.” A silence washed over the four of them. Arden and Ophelia had kissed. But what now? Arden knew he loved Ophelia but he wasn’t sure of the way he meant that statement; it was neither romantic nor platonic, instead a kind of faded grey area between them. 

Alexia, who knew her brother quite well, took a wild guess as to what Arden was thinking. “You should talk to Bellamy,” she said.

“Why?” Arden asked, confused. What was “Mr. Bellamy Blake” going to be able to say to him about his teen romance problems? 

“Bellamy fell in love with his best friend. He must’ve figured it out in some way through the years. At least you can talk to him about what you can do if you maybe like Ophelia more than a friend, permanently. Clearly Bellamy did something right, because he married Clarke and they have a child together,” said Arden’s sister, always the voice of reason.

Arden thought for a moment. Alexia’s idea wasn't awful. Besides, it was just a quick conversation, right? What harm could come from that? “Alright. I’ll go talk to Bellamy.”

It was decided. Arden ran upstairs to shower and then quickly changed into clothes that he hadn’t slept in the night before. Both Alexis and Everly offered to walk him towards the crossroads near where the Blake’s lived. Arden thanked his sisters but chose to go alone. This was his choosing and he needed to do this by himself. Something needed to be figured out, and whatever it was, Arden was going to do it on his own.

»«

If having a teenage daughter taught him anything, Bellamy Blake was sure to know that whenever someone knocked on the door, it was best to let his daughter answer it. Sometimes Bellamy opened the door too soon, and Rory angrily shouted from her room that she wasn’t ready. Other times, it wasn’t for Rory, and Bellamy accidentally let some random Sancumite or traveller talk to him for a while. Being an ex-brainwashed disciple yet still a part of the group that saved humanity made people talk. Rory was at least good at turning them away.

It was getting to be the late afternoon, when Bellamy was greeted with a knock on his front door. Knowing that he’d get an earful from someone if he answered it, the older man just continued to read his book. “Rory, someone’s at the door!” He called up the stairs.

His daughter scrambled down only moments later. “I know Dad, I heard.” She flitted past him to answer the knock, leaving Bellamy to roll his eyes at his daughter’s sass. She was something else, that girl, but Bellamy knew she got it all from her mother. Clarke could do no wrong in Bellamy’s eyes, no matter how annoying she could be. Rory, who was just as headstrong as Clarke, was the same in that case; the women in the Blake household had Bellamy wrapped around their fingers and frankly, he was okay with that.

Bellamy went back to his book, as he heard Rory talking with someone on the doorstep. The voice sounded familiar, but not someone like his niece, Ophelia, or Resley Reyes. Bellamy sprang up from his chair when he realized the voice was male; that Charlie Diyoza kid better not be back to kiss his daughter for real this time. It had been a gruelling seven months since he almost caught his only child locking lips with the son of his ex-girlfriend. Warning bells went off, and he had explicitly told Charlie that he and Rory were not allowed to engage in any romantic affection until Rory was seventeen. Thankfully, he had another year before that happened.

However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t supervise any conversations Rory could be having with Charlie. Almost tripping over himself, he made it to the foyer miraculously in one piece. To his surprise, it wasn’t Charlie on the doorstep but Arden Murphy. “Hey kid, what’s up?” 

Rory stepped back and opened the door wider. “Arden wants to talk to you, Dad.”

“Me?” Bellamy was a tad taken aback. Of all their friends, it was normally Raven who dealt with the Murphy family problems. Bellamy was always there for his friends’ kids, but he wasn’t the “fun-uncle” that Murphy had once been labelled. Murphy was still a funny guy that all kids loved, though times had changed in the last few years as Emori’s condition worsened. It was normally Clarke who took food over when Murphy wasn’t in the mood to make dinner. Bellamy wasn’t very good with talking about the hard stuff when it came to Murphy. Growing up, they had been there for each other but normally in an unspoken support kind of way. Bellamy wasn’t sure what to say to his best guy friend; what _could_ you say to a guy whose wife was practically dead?

Bellamy collected himself before Arden could confirm that it was indeed Bellamy who he wanted to talk to. “Sure, why don’t you come sit in the living room?”

“Okay.” Arden said soberly. Rory mouthed ‘good luck’ over her shoulder and ran back upstairs. Bellamy moved his book to the coffee table and sat back in his chair.

“So what can I do for you?” Bellamy asked.

Arden looked a bit nervous, but pushed forward with what he wanted to say. “Well I just wanted to ask you about Clarke.” 

“Clarke?” 

“Yeah. Kind of about your feelings for her and stuff.”

“My feelings for her,” Bellamy echoed, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well I’m feeling similar things and I just wanted to ask you what it’s like?”

Bellamy turned sharply to stare at the boy in front of him. “You feel things for my wife?” He asked. 

Arden shook his head. “No! I mean, let me just start over.” 

“Okay, I’ll be quiet.” Bellamy leaned back in his chair, glad that Murphy’s kid was not confessing to Bellamy that he liked Clarke. Clarke was Bellamy’s and no one else's.

Nervous especially after messing up his words, Arden spoke quickly to get out the whole thing at once. “I know you and Clarke were best friends first and then felt something more. I kissed my best friend. I like her of course, but I don’t know where the line between platonic feelings and romantic feelings starts and ends.”

“Oh.” Bellamy finally realized. After hearing his daughter get home after four that morning, talking to Clarke later about someone kissing someone else, Bellamy had to admit he had been curious. Rory had only mentioned that two people were caught in a slightly compromising position in the closet (kissing only, as reassured by Rory and Clarke). She hadn’t said a word about who it was, but Bellamy wasn’t _that_ old. Now, with Arden coming to him, he could put two and two together. “You want to know about me and Clarke because you might feel that way for Ophelia.” 

“Yeah.” Arden was so nervous he didn’t even notice how Bellamy had guessed who Arden had kissed. Though once he realized, Arden was surprised Bellamy wasn’t more protective over his niece.

Bellamy smiled as the memories of Clarke and him growing closer washed over him. He had had many flings before Clarke, but in the end she was the one who made him stick around. The Head and The Heart, as their friends had affectionately nicknamed them once they officially got together. Clarke had been a chase for Bellamy and when he finally caught her she was everything good that he had missed from all his previous flings. At one time, he had even slept with Raven and dated Ash (Echo at the time) for about three years. Though they were never going to last, because his heart was always waiting for his other half; the half he eventually found in Clarke.

Snapping back to reality, Bellamy realized Arden was still waiting for an answer. “Well it all started when I saw her kiss another guy. I always felt protective when guys kissed my little sister, but when one kissed Clarke, hot jealousy spiked through me. I wanted to go over there and punch the guy.”

“Really?” Shocked, Arden leaned closer. “Did you?”

“Heck no. I was the leader of the group, sure, but only because Clarke knew it was useless to turn against me. That didn’t mean she never tried, because _oh hell_ she tried. I kept those feelings to myself all while wondering why I was so mad that another guy was kissing Clarke. It didn’t make sense.” Bellamy smiled to himself. “Relationships came and went for the both of us, but we did have moments over the years where I would look and her and I swear she was looking back at me the same way she had looked at the people she felt romantic feelings for.”

“But how did you know you liked her?”

“I guess it didn’t really hit me until I thought I lost her. You’ve heard about Praimfaya and how it was ultimately me who left Clarke behind. I made the final call, the one where she wasn’t in the launcher. That decision was the worst and best I’ve ever made. Worse because I left her behind. But best because it was after that moment, that I realized no matter what, I would never be able to leave her behind again. I could never live in a world where I didn’t know if she was alive or dead in a ditch somewhere. I knew I needed to keep her close to me at all costs. There were a few more bumps along the way, her sleeping with this Sanctumite we’d only just met was one of them, and then her body being taken over by Josephine Lightbourne was another. In the end, I made my move and knew that regardless of the result, my feelings wouldn’t change. Thankfully, she felt the same way and we’ve been together and in love ever since.”

Arden was quiet as he processed Bellamy’s story. “So you’re saying that if I get jealous when other guys talk to my best friend and I can’t live without them, that it’s romantic?”

“Sure. You also have to want to be in a romantic relationship. Be careful, you don’t want to confuse your feelings for that of friends. I made that mistake with Ash; we cared, and still do, deeply for each other but what we had between us wasn’t romantic.”

“But how do you know?” Arden asked, exasperated.

“Trust me, you’ll know.” Bellamy smiled again. “It’s not just the “can’t live without them” thought. It’s the “I can’t live without seeing you every morning, hearing you laugh before I go to bed and wanting to make sure they are always happy” thought. What you want doesn’t matter because all you want is for her to be okay. Life or death? You make sure they have life.”

“Wow.” There was a pause as Arden thought long and hard about everything he had just been told. “Okay, that makes sense.”

“Yeah.” Bellamy trailed off, caught up in his own distant memories.

Both of their daydreams were interrupted when the front door opened and footsteps could be heard in the foyer. “Hey guys, I’m home!” Clarke called into the house, slamming the door behind her.

“Hey honey, in here.” Clarke poked her head into the living room and saw Arden was sitting on the couch across from her husband.

“Oh hi Arden. How are you? How’s the family?”

Arden fidgeted but turned to answer Clarke. “They’re fine. And I’m fine too.” 

“That’s good,” Clarke said.

There was a moment of silence, then Arden said, “I should probably go now.”

Bellamy nodded. “Is there anything else you wanted to ask or talk about?” 

Clarke, sensing this was private, pointed upstairs. “I’ll go change.” After she left, Arden thought briefly for a moment, then shook his head.

“No thanks, I think I know what I need to do.” Arden stood up. “Um, maybe I’ll see you around the house. Dad misses his friends. He wants to see you guys but doesn’t want to leave the house because of Mom, you know?” Looking at the floor, Arden sighed. Clarke asking about his family probably stirred up the reality of what was going on back home.

Bellamy hadn’t thought about it in that way. He knew Murphy had had a few episodes recently, ones that Raven had to go deal with, but when Murphy hadn’t reached out to talk to anyone else, Bellamy had assumed he just wanted space. Although it made sense that Murphy needed friends, especially in a time like this. He decided that next time Clarke went over with dinner, he would dig up a bottle of Monty’s old moonshine for them to share. Even if they just sat quietly and drank, it would at least be a time for Murphy to be with his friend.

“Tell your dad I’ll come by with some drinks soon,” Bellamy said to Arden.

“Okay.” Arden smiled. “Dad’ll like that. Thanks.” He opened the front door and left, closing it quietly behind him.

Bellamy let out a whoosh of breath and turned to see his wife standing on the stairs behind him. “What was that all about?” She said, walking down the last couple steps.

“Just a young boy trying to make his way through the dangerous waters of falling in love with his best friend.” Clarke raised an eyebrow and him and he rolled his eyes. “Don’t start.”

Raising her arms in mock surrender, Clarke smiled. “I didn’t say anything.” But she did walk over and wrap her arms around Bellamy, him doing the same to her, as she laid her head on his shoulder. “But that was very poetic. What did you say to him?” 

“Just that as messy as it is to fall in love with your best friend, for me it was the best thing ever.”

Clarke pulled away and smacked his arm. “Now that’s just cheesy. You and me, we don’t do cheesy. Clearly, you want something from me.” 

“Caught me.” It was Bellamy’s turn to raise his hands in mock surrender. 

Clarke laughed. “What do you want?”

“A kiss.” Bellamy leaned towards his wife and pressed his lips softly to hers. “Or maybe two or three or more,” he added with a whisper and a suggestive glance upstairs.

“Well I’m sure that can be arranged,” Clarke smiled against her husband’s lips and then moved away. “Race ya!”

She took off, leaving Bellamy to follow. That was okay, he knew that though together they had won many battles, in the end Clarke winning his heart was all that mattered. After that, he knew that whenever it came to his wife, the love of his life, he would be okay to lose to her and only her. He knew she was his everything and that would never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was cute, right? Yeah I thought so. Bellarke AU is pretty great, I must say. Not as great as Memori in canon/AU (that takes the winner on all The 100 ships and almost all ships in general) but still pretty cute.
> 
> Thank you for all the love and support on this fanfic by the way! Everytime I get a “you’ve got kudos” email or a message in my inbox that someone left a comment, I instantly get happy. If it’s a message, I want to respond right away (even if I’m in the middle of homework, yikes!) I appreciate all of you and I’m so thankful. Don’t think that just because I’m not updating doesn’t mean I don’t love y’all, because that’s totally incorrect. Life just gets busy unfortunately, but thanks as always, for coming back.
> 
> *Also this is totally not a brag but it also is*: I recently updated/redid my entire tumblr so now it’s much nicer and organized. You can check it out [@thedefinitionofendgame](https://thedefinitionofendgame.tumblr.com/)


	7. Live A Little

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “What's life, if you can’t live a little?”
> 
> This chapter is a shout out to literally everyone good in my life. If you’re reading this, you count. If you’re reading this, you matter and I’m thankful you’re here on Earth.
> 
> Now the title of this chapter doesn’t really have anything to do with what you’re about to read, but in its own way I think it fits. That’s besides the point. This chapter is honestly just 2.3k of life.
> 
> Any spelling mistakes blame on me. I didn't let Alls (my Beta Producer) read this one because I wanted her to be surprised. 
> 
> Also y’all should be proud of me, I actually uploaded on a Saturday like I said I would! I think I deserve a round of applause. Happy reading!

~7~

“Hey Phee, can we talk?” Arden asked, approaching his best friend as school was just letting out for the day. It was Friday, and on Friday nights, Arden and Ophelia normally hung out with their gaggle of other friends. Though things were still a little tense after the whole showdown with Arden and Ophelia being caught in the act in the closet. Other than hanging out at school, the two best friends hadn’t really spent a moment together, despite how much they needed to. So Ophelia was relieved when Arden called out to her after school. The rest of their friends and classmates dispersed, Harley Green included. For just a moment, Arden stared after her, wanting to walk home with her like he had done almost every day since they met. But he needed to work things out with Ophelia and as much as he liked being friends with Harley, his best friend came first. So he waved to her before starting the short trek with Ophelia back to her house.

They didn’t speak on the walk and Ophelia tried to fill the silence by scuffing her worn down boots in the leaves that littered the sides of the path. It soon became annoying, so Ophelia opted for the dirt and the silence returned once more. When they reached Ophelia’s home, the pair went and dumped their bags on the back door’s porch. Their bags would be safely hidden behind the house, plus the door could be seen from the wall. The wall was a forgotten piece of wooden fencing that hadn’t been taken out when the previously destroyed houses were torn down to create new ones after the last war. Ophelia and Arden had found the wall back when they used to go adventuring after school and it was yet another one of their places to go to hangout and just talk.

Arden swung himself up onto the wood, smooth from all the hours they had spent up here. It wasn’t their place of choice now that they were old enough to go swimming on Skyring but it would do in a pinch. Ophelia hopped up next to him and for a moment, no one spoke. Then Arden decided to rip off the band-aid and get out what he needed to get out. “Phee, I like you.”

“Arden, don’t lie to me I know-” Ophelia started to say, but Arden cut her off, not finished talking yet.

“I like you. Actually, I love you because you’re my best friend. My love for you will never change and I’m so thankful you’re in my life. But I don’t love you in a way any different than that. You and me, romantically together? The idea makes my stomach clench. We’re so great together as friends and that’s how I want it to be. Nothing more because we don’t need that. Just how were, how I hope we will continue to be, is good.” Arden sighed and hoped he wasn’t ruining everything he and Ophelia had built over the sixteen years of their friendship. “I don’t know how you feel but I want you to know that whatever you feel is valid. And if you still like me, that’s okay. I just thought that you had a right to know what I feel and have been working up the nerve to say to you this past week.”

Arden dared to sneak a glance at Ophelia, wondering what on Planet Alpha was going through her head. He would give her time to process though, and wouldn’t pressure her to say things back to him. Just because he was ready, didn’t mean she was. He would wait, for if it was anything he had learned from his parents, it was that love took time. Love waited forever. Murphy would wait forever for Emori, no matter how much grief she put him through as she lay quiet in a room alone. Arden loved Ophelia as his best friend and he’d wait for her all the same.

It was at that moment that Ophelia’s lips pressed against Arden’s, hard. Arden was taken aback, almost falling off the wall. Instinct made him react and he leaned to kiss Ophelia back. However her lips were gone before he could move any further.

“Sorry,” Ophelia said, looking down at her lap. She then wiped her mouth, laughing, before turning to look at her best friend. 

Confused, Arden shifted so he was almost facing Ophelia. “What’s so funny?”   
She didn’t say anything for a moment, but continued to laugh quietly. When she finally looked up, Arden could tell that Ophelia wasn’t laughing  _ at  _ him, per say, more like at herself. “It’s just, before the party I imagined what kissing you would be like. Kissing my best friend, confessing that I liked you. But then when I really did it, I realized it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Not that you’re a bad kisser or anything, but fireworks didn’t go off in that closet. I love you Arden and like you said, that will never change. Although I needed to be double sure that I wasn’t just telling myself that I didn’t like you as more than a best friend because it would screw everything up.” Ophelia paused and breathed in deeply. “Anyways, I just had to check. Sorry for not warning you.” 

“It’s okay.” Arden said, and it was. He knew Ophelia almost better than she knew herself. He’d said that for years and it was still just as true. Ophelia would always be his best friend, but a romantic love between them wasn’t in the cards.

Silence washed over the pair, until Arden broke it. “So who’s the guy?”

“I’m sorry what?” Ophelia’s head turned sharply to stare at Arden.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Arden raised an eyebrow and smirked at his friend. “Who’s the guy? I know you, you wouldn’t come to a conclusion about not liking me so fast unless there was someone else. It took you weeks to wrap your head around your feelings for that Bardoean transfer student last year. You taking so long to get your head together is one of the reasons why I waited until today to talk to you. It hasn’t even been a week, but I mean, I gave you four extra days.”

A laugh escaped Ophelia’s lips once more. “I feel bad for Brexley! He was so confused about why I was hot and cold so much.” Memories of her past crush crossed Ophelia’s mind and she smiled.

“I ask again, who’s the guy?” Arden was determined to get his best friend to spill her new secret crush.

Ophelia turned, and without meaning to attempt to correct Arden. “Who’s the girl.” The second the words left Ophelia’s mouth she silently cursed herself. This was not how she meant to say the burning secret that had been on her mind for the past few months. This was not it. Ophelia knew her best friend, but she still was overcomplicating his possible reaction in every single way. Bracing herself for Arden’s realization, Ophelia was surprised when it didn’t come.

Instead, Arden narrowed his eyes at Ophelia, not in anger, but in question. “Wait, what do you mean?”

Now Ophelia was confused. “What do  _ you  _ mean?”

Arden’s gaze darted back and forth. He was confused and immediately thought Ophelia was talking about  _ his _ feelings, not her own. “Nevermind.” He said, lost in a daze. What girl was Ophelia thinking he was after? He had honestly been joking when he said “who’s the guy” to Ophelia, but she very convincingly replied “who’s the girl”. Was it obvious he may have a flutter of a feeling for another female counterpart that had been there before the whole Ophelia mess blew up and still remained after things had been smoothed over? Arden decided he didn’t want to know.

This wasn’t the reaction she was expecting, though it was honestly better than whatever Ophelia dreaded. She was thankful for Arden’s silence. She was thankful for a lot of things; the fact she and Arden had worked out what they needed to so easily, the most. 

Arden still wanted to know what girl Ophelia thought he had a thing for but now was not the time. Right now, they needed to change the subject to something mundane. They needed to go back to how they used to be; something Arden was thankful for. He was okay with the way they were, before the closet incident.

Ophelia could tell Arden wanted to change the subject, so the topic flipped to going skating on the Sanctum pond once the weather got colder. Both friends were just happy to have each other back and almost the way they used to be. Sure, they weren’t perfectly fixed but it was good enough.

The sky was dark and the sun had set when Arden realized he should probably get home. He hadn’t told his father or siblings where he was, but it’s not like Sanctum was that far from home. Plus Murphy normally spent Fridays in Emori’s room telling her about the highs and lows of the week. “I gotta get home,” Arden said finally, jumping off the wall.

Ophelia walked with him to the back door, where he picked up his discarded school bag. “See you Monday,” she said, reaching over and fluffing his hair. Arden laughed; this was something Ophelia had done for years. Messing up his always “perfect” bangs. A best friend only kind of thing. Shouldering his bag, Arden waved as he started home and away from Ophelia’s house, feeling better than he had in at least a week. Lights were on in most of the houses and they lit up his path towards the woods. Arden almost expected to run into someone else he knew, but no one was out except some Sanctumites that Arden hadn’t even met. The Levitt’s lived in the more secluded section of Sanctum; not in the heart of it like Dr. Jackson and Uncle Miller did. Their cottage was right in the thick of things, a hospital near the hospital practically.

As Arden reached the Sanctum Junction, he could see a figure frantically pacing back and forth in front of the tree. A chill in the air made Arden shiver, so he jogged to reach the junction faster. “Hey!” He called out, nearing the person.

They turned and to Arden’s surprise, it was Everly. “Everly, why the heck are you waiting here at this time of night?” The forest outside Sanctum wasn’t filled with the dangers it had been years ago but it was no place for an almost twelve year old. Especially one as “delicate” as Everly. Arden didn’t think of her as fragile but she definitely wasn’t as conditioned to the hardships of life as Arden. Resley was supposed to be Everly’s main distraction when Murphy was in one of his states while Arden was the one to sit with his dad. Arden had always tried to shield his sister from whatever horrible thing their family was going through. In the end, if someone was going to be spared a great deal from the family, it would best be Everly.

There was a stricken look on Everly’s face, as she stared at her brother. “Arden.” Everly only managed to get one word out, before her face crumpled. “Arden!” A sob left her, and she fell into her brother’s arms. Arden was so surprised, he stumbled back holding Everly’s weight against him.

“What’s wrong?” Concern laced Arden’s tone and he immediately thought of all the horrible things that could’ve happened to his sister. He knew his sister well and while she whined often, she never cried. None of the Murphy kids really did. Forcing themselves to be strong under all circumstances was something the had inherited from both their parents, the inherited trait running through their bloodstream all the time.

Everly’s shoulders shook as she cried and Arden held her tighter. Cursing himself, he thought about how he shouldn’t have stayed at Ophelia's so long.  _ I should’ve been here sooner for my sister _ , Arden said to himself.  _ My sister, my responsibility _ . The one day a week he didn’t go home, of course something horrible had happened. Although now it was a matter of Everly calming down long enough to tell him.

Arden pulled back from his sister and crouched down with his hands on her shoulders. He looked her straight in the eyes, the eyes that mirrored his own and were inherited from their mother. He looked her in the eyes and asked her quietly, “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Everly managed to speak. “It’s Mom. Dad and Raven had to-to take her to the hospital.” Everly took another deep breath, her voice breaking and tears forming at the corners of her eyes again. “Arden, Mom’s sick. She’s really sick.” 

The words weren’t anything Arden hadn’t heard before. He was used to this, the relapses and the scares that the Murphy family were faced with constantly. But he knew something had to be different because here was his sister, waiting for him for who knows how long to tell him that their mother was in the hospital yet again. “How bad is it.” It came out more like a statement than a question. 

The dam burst and Everly stared at her brother with salty tears running down her cheeks. “They say there’s not much time left because Mom, she-she-she's dying.”

And those were the only words echoing inside Arden’s empty mind as he grabbed his sister’s hand and raced with her back in the direction they had come. Only those words and the choking sound of Everly’s voice as she said them.

_ They say there’s not much time left because Mom, she’s dying. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um yeah, all I gotta say is sorry. I hope you can forgive me (eventually).
> 
> On a completely different note, this chapter revealed a pretty big secret for both Ophelia and Arden. In case you didn’t quite get it, Arden mistook the meaning of Ophelia’s correction to Arden’s question “who’s the guy”. He believes she thinks he likes someone, and will now have to deal with that realization after Emori of course. And Ophelia, well you’ll see :)
> 
> I’m not trying to be mean, but I have a bunch of things due this week for school so I hope I can get a chapter up for next Saturday. I’ll try my best. Thank you for reading, and leave a comment if you want! I absolutely love hearing your thoughts, no matter what they are.
> 
> *Also this is totally not a brag but it also is*: I updated/redid my entire tumblr so now it’s much nicer and organized. You can check it out [@thedefinitionofendgame](https://thedefinitionofendgame.tumblr.com/)


	8. Confessions Of An Almost Widower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don’t like reading A/N, feel free to skip over but PLEASE read the *trigger/content warning* before beginning this chapter.
> 
> Hi guys! I’m back with another update. This will be my last updated (most likely) until after Christmas. I have exams this coming week and a bunch of Christmas-related collabs and such. Over winter break I will most likely be on a writing spree and write to be at least 2 chapters in advance. This is so that I can make sure not to leave y’all hanging for a bunch of weeks. Especially once the story picks up. There will be a hiatus at one point which unfortunately leaves you on a cliffhanger. But that’s not for a while.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter picks up right after that mean cliffhanger from chapter 7. While this chapter doesn’t offer much in terms of relief, it does have some sweet moments. I also have plans to write a “prequel” to this story about Memori prior to Everly’s birth. The flashback scene in this chapter is a small snippet of what the prequel would look like. Though I do not plan to write the prequel until after I finish IHTBAHK, I wanted to include a small preview. Let me know in the comments what you think!
> 
> All mistakes are mine, I wanted to get this up so Alls did not read it yet.
> 
> *TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING* This is your warning that Chapter 8 contains some more “mature” topics, such as s*icide (brief and not described) and child loss. If these topics upset you please do not read this chapter of IHTBAHK or skip the beginning of the chapter.

~8~

John was dreaming.

Well it wasn’t exactly a dream, per say. It was more like an unconscious flashback while he was sleeping. Not a nightmare, at least not yet. That part would come later. It was the calm before the storm, the moments before everything he loved and everything he thought he knew would soon be ripped away from him, forever. He’d almost lost his wife before, in those treacherous times when they played heroes. But despite having some hand in making the problem worse before (anything was possible when Clarke Griffin was in charge), this was the first time he had directly created the problem. He, himself, got Emori pregnant. And with that new growth of life came a whole hell-full amount of problems.

Emori blamed herself. Their youngest daughter, the creation of life that brought all the problems, blamed herself. Arden blamed his younger sister. Alexia and Blue, well John didn’t believe they blamed anyone. But deep down inside, John knew he was the one who should take the blame. It was because he couldn’t say no to his wife that she was dying in an ice cold bed. It was John Murphy yet again who was going to be the reason someone else died. Just like his father before him, died trying to get medicine for his sick son. Emori was the one who had to take the burden of their mistake. Too bad John couldn’t take his life with hers. Raven always shut down his suicidal thoughts, arguing that he couldn’t leave behind his four kids. “Think of your kids, Murphy,” she always said. “Your two sons and your two daughters. Think of how for the rest of their lives, Arden and Everly’s eyes will always be mirrored versions of Emori’s. Think of how you and Emori created these lives. I know that when I look at Resley I think about how she’s half of me and half of Cayson, even if her appearance doesn’t show that exactly. And I think of what could’ve been.” Her words always trailed off, and Murphy’s never bothered to ask her about her own grief. Why? It was just another door that when opened, would cause pain. 

But maybe Murphy might have to ask Raven about what it’s like to lose someone. Murphy’s close enough to losing Emori. Though Raven’s loss and Murphy’s possible loss are still very different. Raven lost a life she fantasized about, but one she never got to physically watch grow up. Murphy’s about to lose someone he’s known for years, decades. Someone he expected to grow old with. Someone he knows everything about. They’re not the same. No, losing your wife is different than losing your unborn child. Or so Murphy thinks.

In his dream-like state, he doesn’t dwell on Raven’s grief. Instead, he sinks lower into his. And stupidly, he opens the door that started all this, the door that never should’ve had an entrance in the first place. Sure, he loves his daughter. But their lives would be so much different without her. Again, or so Murphy thinks. He’ll never really know, never really know if Everly’s birth created the problems or just sped them up. Maybe it’s just easier to let go and live. But what life is worth living if his wife isn’t there to spend it with him?

Murphy’s thrown into a moment of time that he’s replayed over and over before. The moment where every hardship in their lives truly began. The moment where he should’ve said no. But he didn’t and now he’s here, slumped in a chair in a hospital next to his dying wife. And so, he shifts and lets the memory consume him, consume him like nothing ever before.

_Before Everly : The Murphy’s Farmhouse_

_"Hey, if our fourth kid is a boy, can we name him Hero?" Emori asked._

_Murphy, whose head was lying in Emori's lap, looked up into the big brown eyes of his wife. "What's with this 'if our fourth kid is a boy" talk? We said Arden was the last kid, remember?" He reminded her, rolling his eyes, and sporting a grin._

_Sighing Emori looked up, staring off into the distance. "John, I want another baby. Arden is going to be five in a couple months. It's been almost five years since we had a little one in our arms. Don't you miss it?" She looked back down at Murphy, a curtain of sadness crossing her face._

_"No, not really." Murphy let out a chuckle, before seeing his wife's expression. He quickly sat up and put a hand on her knee. "I didn't mean it like that. You know I've loved all three of our kids no matter what ages they are. But Alexia's thirteen now with Blue following behind at eight. Like you said, Arden almost five puts us years away from the baby stages. Think, if we had another kid you'd have to go back to diapers." He winked at her, hoping to hear her laugh too._

_Yet Emori was extremely serious. "I'm serious. I want another baby." She took her hand, the one Murphy idolized, and placed it delicately on his chest. "We could even get a head start right now."_

_"Hold up." His hand reached out to settle hers. Murphy quickly pressed a kiss to her lips to let her know he wasn't not interested in what she was suggesting. But they needed to talk about it._

_"John, just think. Another little boy just like you. Blue, we all know, takes after me. And Arden is practically a carbon-copy of you. Imagine, you could have enough kids to start a soccer match in Sanctum."_

_Murphy thought about it. He thought about what Emori was suggesting. He knew he was a sucker when it came to agreeing to what his wife wanted. All he could come to say was, "What if it's a girl?"_

_"It's going to be a boy. Trust me. And we'll name him Hero, because he's a hero's kid," Emori explained, winking at her husband. "Get it?"_

_"Oh I get it." Murphy laughed and took Emori's face in his hands. "I love you."_

_Emori smiled. "I love you too. Does this mean you're saying yes?"_

_Murphy nodded. "Yes. Although before there's any unprotected sex we're going to go talk with Jackson. I know you don't want to hear it, but we're getting older and I want to make sure everything will run as smoothly as the last three times."_

_Emori rolled her eyes. Who knew that John Murphy would be the paranoid one when it came to having another baby? "Fine. As long as you agree to let us practice a bit. To make sure we haven't gotten rusty at it."_

_Raising an eyebrow, Murphy cocked his head at his wife. "Us? Gotten rusty? 'Mori if that's what you're thinking, I'll have to prove to you I'm anything but rusty." He lunged for her and she shrieked, as his lips pressed roughly to hers. It was safe to say that they were anything but._

“Daddy.” Everly pushed her thumb into Murphy’s shoulder, a hard jab that she hoped would wake him. “Daddy, wake up.” 

Murphy opened his eyes, rubbing sleep from them. “What, what is it? Is Emori okay?” He sprang out of the chair and moved the half meter distance to his wife’s bedside. “Emori, I’m here baby.” 

Everly flinched at her father’s burst of energy, but pushed past her terror and said, “Jackson is outside and he wants to talk to you.” Her voice wobbled. Why had Arden made her tell their father? It would only make him hate her more.

Murphy, once realizing nothing was immediately wrong with Emori, relaxed only a bit. “Okay.” He stood up and didn’t say anything else as he left the room.

Everly’s eyes were filled with tears, her eyelashes the only thing holding back the water that threatened to spill onto her cheeks. She knew her dad was in pain and had been since his wife first fell ill. And even though she blamed herself, Everly couldn’t help hope that her family wouldn’t blame her too, at least sometimes. She didn’t ask to be brought into the world. Whenever Emori was better, she always held Everly close and told her it wasn’t her fault. Blue sometimes did too. Alexia hadn’t ever acted differently towards Everly, just the same loving big sister despite the thirteen year age-gap between them. 

But as much as Murphy tried, it was sometimes obvious he needed to blame someone. And Arden definitely blamed his younger sister, though he didn’t always explicitly say it, Everly knew. Of course the last two males left in the house, what with Alexia and Blue off on Bardo for their schooling, had to be the ones that blamed Everly.

Alexia and Blue were being sent notice about Emori. It would take at least another two days for them to get back to Sanctum, and Everly missed them. She wanted them here. Emori couldn’t die, her mom couldn’t die, until the whole family was there and could say goodbye, right? The answer wasn’t something anyone could answer for Everly. 

A knock sounded at the door, and Arden’s eyes shot open from where he had slept on another chair. Everly had resided on the floor, in a mess of coats and backpacks. He stretched and stood up, brushing past Everly to open the door. 

“Hi.” Resley stood at the door, a tote bag in her hands and a solemn expression on her face. “Mom’s with your dad right now. And my dad sent breakfast. Well lunch really as it’s almost one.” 

Everly doesn’t move, not until Arden has said things to Resley that Everly tuned out. She waited until Resley approached her, then wrapped her arms around her. “I’m scared,” she whispered against Resley’s shirt. The older girl, who’s always been like another sister to Everly, hugged her back. 

“I know.” Resley doesn't know what else to say. “Why don’t you eat something and then we can go for a walk maybe? It’s sunny out.”

Everly nodded and took the covered plate of food that Cayson had made. Cayson had been a closeted cook on Bardo. Disciples weren’t allowed pastimes, so Cayson couldn’t exactly explore his culinary desires. But once he met Raven and was brought back to Sanctum his opportunities were endless. Good thing too, because Raven was a bad cook. The few times “girl’s night” had occurred with Emori, Raven, Alexia, Resley and Everly, there had been some complaints. Emori couldn’t cook well either, and if Murphy was in a good mood, he’d tell the rat story; how he reunited with the girl he loved by eating a piece of rat, which he always said tasted disgusting.

Murphy didn’t like to talk much about his time with Emori before the kids if Emori wasn’t well. He liked to tell stories of the both of them, “Memori stories” he called them, when they could both chime in with details. Though sometimes if Everly asked enough, Murphy relented and told a Memori story. Everly’s favourite ones were about Spacekru, and she longed to find the same group of friends that her brother had. Sure, she had Resley (though she was more family than friend) and Trevor at school. It wasn’t the same though. 

Sometimes she and Resley talked about their hopes and dreams, successes and failures. Resley was the only person who knew most of what Everly felt regarding her mother’s illness and Resley had told Everly some personal things too. Arden knew they were close, and sometimes Everly wondered if he wished he could join their talks. However, Resley was loyal and never shared what she and Everly talked about. 

After breakfast-lunch had been eaten, Resley collected their plates and put them back in the satchel. She then turned to Arden and said, “Do you want to come for a walk?”

Arden shook his head. “No.” 

“Okay.” Resley was used to the solemn persona of Arden when his mom was in the hospital. It was to be expected, especially since this time, Emori’s condition was either life or death. Jackson had told Raven who told her daughter last night, that if Emori’s condition didn’t improve soon, she wasn’t going to make it. Resley couldn’t imagine losing her mom, and didn’t want to imagine what Everly and Arden were going through, on the brink of it. 

Everly and Resley turned left outside Emori’s door and went through the hospital’s doors, not running into anyone else. The weather was indeed sunny and even though it was mid-fall, the weather was warmer today. 

“Resley, have you ever hated someone?” Everly asked, the second they seemed to be alone. They were heading towards the grounds surrounding Sanctum, the quiet paths that no one seemed to be occupying at this point in the day. Tradition for the pair of them.

Resley, who was extremely chill and laid back, stuck her hands into her pockets and looked at Everly. “I wouldn’t say hate exactly. But I’ve been upset and angry at someone before. Everyone has.” 

“Oh.” Everly thought for a moment. “Okay. Have you been jealous before?”

This question surprised Resley. Although like all of Everly’s questions, she answered with the same truth she always did. “Definitely. Sometimes I’m jealous of people for what they have that I don’t. Whether that’s friends, siblings or whatever.” There was a look in Resley’s eyes, a sort of glare that hadn’t been there a second ago. Everly was too busy thinking about her life to notice, but it was there, reflecting off her gaze like the sunlight. 

“I wish my family didn’t blame me for something I already blame myself for.” One wish. Turning to Resley, Everly waited. This was a game they played, the wishing game, where they said their desires that would probably never come true but were still valid.

It took a moment, but Resley finally spoke. “I wish love was easy.” A simple enough wish, with a whole bunch of emotions.

“Are you talking about your mom and dad?” Everly couldn’t help but ask. 

Resley lifted a shoulder. “Amongst others.”

Everly didn’t question her. They walked in silence for longer, the scuff of Resley’s hand-me-down boots making the only noise; Raven’s old ones. 

Though it was quiet outside, inside Resley was trying to make sense of her carefully chosen words. Love wasn’t easy. Love was hard, love was painful. She knew her mom and dad loved her, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they loved someone else more. Someone else they hadn’t met, some else they would never meet. Don’t be silly, Resley said to herself. That’s crazy talk. It was crazy, sure, but it was what Resley felt. Love didn’t make sense and even kids like Resley Reyes, living under the impression that love came to those who waited, thought love sucked sometimes.

Before finding Cayson, Raven had fallen in love a total of three times. Three times she had declared her love and all three times had ended in heartbreak. Her first love had found love in another girl, someone Raven wouldn’t tell Resley about because she didn’t want to change her daughter’s view of someone she knew. Raven’s second love was the first guy who loved Raven despite her disabled leg. Someone who never let her forget her worth. And Raven’s third love was a man just as broken as her, someone who was smart and kind and everything she thought she’d end up with. Unfortunately he died on a mission to save lives, and didn’t even get to say goodbye to Raven. She didn’t like to talk about him much. But sometimes Resley caught her mother going out to visit his grave. The name Shaw had been scratched into a piece of wood. The sign was weathered and rotting, but the name was still slightly visible. Resley always wondered what kind of man he was.

Cayson was someone who everyone wondered about. He was quiet and didn’t ask questions. He admired Raven for her brains and didn’t get in her way. He loved his daughter fiercely and told her to never settle for anything less than what she wanted. Resley loved him. And she knew her parents loved each other despite what their friends wondered. Cayson just didn’t fit in. Unfortunately Emori was the only person who had ever made a real effort to include the poor guy in their get togethers. Maybe that’s why Cayson liked to help the Murphy’s so much. Or maybe it was from the goodness of his heart, and the fact that Raven was Murphy’s best friend. Whatever it was, Resley wondered about isolation sometimes, knowing that her father understood it like no other. He never talked about his time on Bardo, almost like a warrior with post-traumatic stress syndrome. All Resley knew was that he and Raven had found each other and that was that. 

Resley and Everly walked until their legs were sore. Then they headed back to the hospital. There, Raven took one look at her daughter and engulfed in a hug. “She’s worse, if that’s even possible,” Raven whispered. 

Resley shielded Everly from the mess and chaos that was going on in Emori’s hospital room. There were so many people and so much pain. Murphy was crying and had to be held back from rushing to his wife’s bedside by Arden and one of Miller and Jackson’s twin sons, David. It seemed as though Emori was convulsing on the bed. Miller, who was definitely no doctor, struggled to help his husband without injuring Emori more. Raven pushed Everly and Resley away from the door and told them to get Samuel. Samuel, who was training to be a doctor alike to his father, would know how to help safely.

Once the girls had left, Raven ran in and tried to talk Murphy down from whatever rampage he was on. He just had to be holding Emori’s hand or anything besides watching his wife die. John Murphy was never good at just waiting. Raven didn’t remember Becca’s lab incident as well as Murphy did, but she knew he was willing to fight for his wife’s life to no end. This was of course different, as everyone was trying to help Emori as well, though the same idea applied. Emori’s life was in danger and Murphy would do anything to help. 

Arden was only seventeen. He was two years older than Raven’s own daughter. Too young to be holding in his emotions to hold back his father from pushing everyone aside to get to Emori’s side. Too young to be about to lose his mother. He was too young for any of this. Raven herself had lost a lot in her life and she had lost her own mother before she was Arden’s age. She lost all three of her loves before Cayson, her two friends Monty and Harper and all the other mentors and good people she cared about. People she didn’t ever think of losing. And Emori was her best friend, someone she couldn’t lose. Emori had experienced so much of Raven’s life with her; they’d been through so much. Nothing was fair at this point. Life was never fair.

“Let me go!” Murphy was shouting now, and Raven moved to help hold him back. 

“Murphy, shut the hell up!” Raven yelled back, trying to get into his head. “Sit down and let Jackson do his job. DO YOU WANT HER TO DIE?”

The whole world stopped, it seemed. Murphy froze and it almost seemed like reality truly hit him. As if until now he hadn’t realized his wife was dying, was most likely going to die and now it hit him. It hit him like a bus going full speed and he hadn’t seen it coming. This wasn’t one of those times that was a “we’ll wait and see”. Emori was either coming home better or she wasn’t coming home at all.

Murphy slumped into the chair behind him. David, who was Blue’s age, released Murphy and went to help his twin brother, who had returned with Resley and Everly. Arden was more cautious about letting Murphy go, but once he saw his father’s face he knew the fight had left his father. Just like it had all those other times, but this was all of it. Murphy was finally facing the reality that he might lose his wife. He might lose her all because she wanted another child and that child ended up shortening her life, if not causing her death directly. Jackson was still uncertain of what Everly’s birth had done, and wouldn’t know until Emori either got better or died. Everything came down to the inevitable life scale. Waiting in the unknown wasn’t an option anymore. 

The chaos had died down slightly, but Jackson was still monitoring Emori’s erratic heartbeat. Raven could tell that Arden was shaken up, and it was probably best for the kids not to be around anymore. She gently placed her hand on Arden’s shoulder and led him out of the room. Resley and Everly were silently watching everything from two chairs in the hall. “Why don’t you kids head home? I’ll send one of the twins your way if anything changes, I promise. The hospital is no place for you guys, especially not with Murphy in the state he’s in.” Arden, too exhausted to argue and Everly, too scared to disagree, both nodded. Raven pulled each of the kids into a hug one at a time. When it was Resley’s turn, Raven looked at her daughter and said, “I love you Res.”

“I love you Mom.” Resley tried to smile. “I’ll go home with Arden and Everly, at least until Alexia and Blue get back from Bardo in the next day or so.”

As if Resley had read her mother’s mind when she had suggested going home with their friends, Raven nodded and tucked a piece of Resley’s hair behind her ear. “That’s my girl. I’ll let your dad know.” 

It was late when Arden, Everly and Resley made it home. The place was dark but the note for Alexia and Blue still remained on the front door. No one said anything, as the trio trudged upstairs and headed for bed. In a silent agreement, Arden and Everly planned to sleep in Emori’s room, and Resley was fine to go along with it. The only problem was, Emori’s room was small and there were few places to sleep. As the bed was clearly Emori and Emori’s only, the only other spots involved the floor or the chair.

Resley took off her jacket and boots and placed them in the hall. “I can take the floor, I’ve done it a million times when Mom has to use my room for mechanical stuff.” 

“No, it’s fine, take the chair.” Arden shakes his head. As tired as he is, he knew he couldn’t make Resley sleep on the floor. When the Murphy family’s life was in shambles, unfortunately so was Resley’s. The Reyes’ gave up so much of their time and energy to help Murphy. It was the least Arden could do to let Resley sleep in more comfort, especially in a home that wasn’t hers. 

Hesitating, Resley didn’t move. It was only when Arden pushed her gently towards the chair that she relented. Curling up under a discarded blanket, Arden gave the other throw to Everly, who lay on the floor at the foot of the bed. And Arden dug into his father’s closet for Emori’s old robes to use as a blanket and pillow. They still smelled faintly of her.

In the dark, Everly soon was snoring. Though tired, Arden’s heart was still racing from earlier. Resley found it hard to sleep in other people’s houses, so she too was awake. Making sure to whisper, Resley said, “Arden, are you okay?”

Arden didn’t say anything for a long time, so long that Resley thought he hadn’t heard her. Finally, he replied, “Resley, how do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Stay strong. Stay strong and manage to be there for Everly. I know my mom doesn’t mean the same thing she does to me, but you have to watch all the hard things and somehow manage to make Everly feel better at the same time.” Arden sighed. “I wouldn’t be able to do it. Whenever Mom’s sick, I’m either useless or a crappy brother.”

Resley looked at Arden over the bed. “I guess it’s what we grow up with. I grew up consoling others, and not just you and Everly. When Emori got really sick, it was either me pull myself together and help or fall apart. Falling apart wasn’t an option in my mind, so I pulled myself together and helped. It’s what you do for those you care about.” Those you love.

Arden thought about Resley’s words, and they made sense. “Okay, I see.” His eyes closed and he almost drifted off. But before he fell asleep he said one last thing. “You know Resley, you’re pretty cool.” 

Almost asleep herself, Resley managed a smile. “You too, Arden, you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all enjoyed this chapter. No matter what you celebrate, I wish you Happy Holidays/Hanukkah/(merry) Christmas. 
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts on a prequel story. I actually have 3 “IHTBAHK related” stories planned for after this one. One is the prequel and two I cannot mention yet. But just know that when this story is done, it’s not truly over. Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
> 
> Also Resley, I love her. She’s probably my favourite character outside the Murphy family. Who’s yours?
> 
> BELOW IS A REFRESHER OF WHO’S WHO’S KID/PARENTS. This is for those who are confused and can’t keep track of the characters. I am not calling anyone out, because even my Beta Producer Alls struggles sometimes. 
> 
> Murphy & Emori: Alexia, Blue (technically Rhys), Arden, Everly
> 
> Octavia & Levitt: Augustus, Ophelia, Athena
> 
> Bellamy & Clarke: Rory
> 
> Raven (& Cayson): Resley
> 
> Hope (& Ash): Charlie
> 
> Jordan (& unnamed woman): Harley
> 
> Miller & Jackson: David, Samuel


	9. Maybe Wishes Do Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! This is my first chapter posted in 2021. I’ll be corny and make the joke that I haven’t updated this story since last year (hahaha!)
> 
> Also: THANK YOU SO MUCH for 1k hits! I’m not a popular fanfiction writer and honestly just write for fun. The fact that a small idea I put into words has hit 1k hits, well that’s BIG in my mind. Thank you so much for reading and commenting and showing this fic love. Y’all are the reason I motivate myself to write sometimes. Ahhhh I’m so happy :)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I love the little community that I’ve built off of in my own mind, starting with all the main characters’ offspring. Check out the end notes for more and otherwise, enjoy!

~9~

It helped to be loved. It helped to have loyal support by friends who were almost like family. It helped to be surrounded by people who would lay down their lives to save someone you cared about. All of the support was more than the Murphys could ever ask for. Day after day, no one did anything less than the best they could. The aid was overwhelming at times and though Arden sometimes forgot to say it, they knew he was thankful. Everyone did. Everyone knew that Alexia, Blue, Arden, Everly and Murphy were as thankful as could be, considering what everyone was doing for them. Arden barely had to lift a finger. Murphy never left Emori’s hospital room. Alexia and Blue didn’t really either, except to finish school work. Everly always had someone keeping her company, whether that be an adult or a fellow kid. People were always asking what they could do, it almost became too much. But Arden was thankful.

Emori had slipped into a coma after experiencing a massive seizure that caused her brain to swell. Jackson was worried that a blood clot had formed somewhere and if it burst, the hemorrhaging damage would be fatal. Time would only tell and time didn’t seem to be working against the Murphys, at least at the moment. Even though Emori wasn’t responsive, she was still breathing and was being fed nutrients through a tube. They still had her Earth-bound and Arden wasn’t about to take that for granted. Murphy either, because Jackson had stressed that Emori’s coma placed her in a now-or-never situation. If she woke up, Jackson was sure she’d pull through and maybe be okay, with more testing done of course. But if she didn’t, then that would be it. That would be their goodbye. Arden couldn’t even remember the last thing he said to his mother when she was awake and understanding them. He knew that his father was never going to be able to say goodbye no matter how long Emori remained in a coma for. How  _ do _ you say goodbye to the love of your life? It’s simple, you can’t.

Both Arden and Everly were still expected to go to school, though if Emori’s condition changed at all, they were allowed to leave. Alexia and Blue had special permission from Bardo to continue their learning at home, as long as they sent assignments via the Anomaly Postal Services twice a week. It was Gus who brought their homework to them every Friday afternoon, and told them about their missed classes in his spare time on the weekends. Ophelia kept Arden company on the walk to and from school, with Harley tagging along sometimes. The girls were on their best behaviour and didn’t let their hatred for each other get in the way of supporting their friend. Arden was most thankful for that. If anything good was to come out of this mess, maybe his two closest friends would finally learn to get along. 

Resley was on Everly-duty from dawn ‘till dusk whenever possible. She didn’t mind, and even played some board games with the Murphy kids on the weekends. Arden was quickly learning that Resley had a secret knack for playing card games. Murphy and Emori’s friends supplied meals and fresh clothes as well as any other necessities. Between all the craziness, Alexia, Blue, Arden and Everly also made sure to spend time with their mom. Just because she couldn’t necessarily understand them, didn’t mean they couldn’t talk to her. They told her about their school days and how everyone else was doing. Arden found himself talking more and more about Harley which for once he was thankful his mom couldn’t understand. Otherwise he’d have to explain  _ those  _ feelings when she woke up. Because she was going to wake up - that was final.

As Emori’s doctor, Jackson wasn’t allowed to give an opinion on what he thought in regards to her waking up or not, and everyone else was cautious with their answer. They all wanted her to, of course, although they didn’t all genuinely believe so. The “let’s wait and see” period was doing people’s heads in as it would anyone.

Murphy never left Emori’s hospital room. Clarke had found a makeshift cot in the attic of her and Bellamy’s place which she donated to the cause. Murphy now slept on that with just a blanket and a pillow. The Murphy kids slept over occasionally, though it wasn’t as easy to fit them in the room or as comfortable as Emori’s room back at the farmhouse. Arden mainly opted to sleep in his own home, but in Emori’s room. Resley spent almost as much time at Arden’s house as he did, and slept over most nights. In fact, at least two-thirds of the Reyes’ were with one of the Murphys at all times. Cayson spent more time at the Murphy house now than he ever had, making meals or cleaning up the place. He and Resley camped out in the living room at night if they stayed over. Arden didn’t mind having them stay over, and almost preferred it.

When the clock struck midnight, Arden woke up with a start. He had fallen asleep almost immediately after returning home from school, having stayed the previous night at the Levitt’s to hang with Ophelia. Outside the moon shone brightly, creating an ominous glow in the dark night sky. Arden shook himself awake and got out of bed, padding down the stairs to get some water and maybe something to eat.

He was surprised to find the kitchen light on and Resley sitting at the table with her homework sprawled out across it. She had blackrimmed glasses perched on her nose and she looked deep into whatever she was doing. “Hey,” he whispered into the dim lighting.

Resley looked up and nodded a hello. She pulled the headset she had been wearing off, and clicked a button on the nearby radio. “Hey, what are you doing up?”

“Hunger got the best of me,” Arden replied. “Want anything?”

“I’m okay for now.” Silence hung in the air, as Arden quietly got himself something to eat. Hope’s jellyfish pudding seemed the best choice, and he paired it with watered-down jo juice, the only kind kids were allowed. Resley turned back to her homework but didn’t put her headset back on. It was only when Arden slid into the chair across from her that Resley shut her notebook and balanced the pencil behind her ear. “How are you doing?”

Arden froze, mid bite of jellyfish pudding. He wasn’t mentally prepared to answer questions at this time of night - the clock in the kitchen had told him it was gone midnight. So he did his best to fake a half-smile and shrug. “I’ve been better but I’m fine.” 

“Hmm.” Resley didn’t look like she believed Arden for a second. Luckily, she also wasn’t the type to pry.

“How are you?” Arden wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, remembering his manners. “Why are  _ you _ up so late?”

Resley lifted a shoulder and shifted her gaze to the notebooks and worksheets in front of her. “Finishing up some homework.” 

“Extra credit stuff?” Both Arden and Resley were pretty smart, though where they differed was the fact that Resley liked work and did other things when she was given the chance to. 

“No, I haven’t taken anything else on in the last while,” Resley told him, not letting her on her feelings regarding the matter. 

Arden didn’t know what to say. He didn’t quite understand as there was clearly something else Resley wasn’t willing to share. They both had thoughts they kept to themselves. After a moment, Arden stood up, his dishes in hand. “Well I have homework to finish up too. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He dumped the plate and cup in the sink and started up the stairs. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Resley said, then turned away from Arden.

Arden stopped halfway up and then looked over his shoulder. “Resley I-” He didn’t continue when he realized Resley had put her headset back and the pencil was already back in her hand, twirling between her fingers. He hadn’t known what he would’ve said if Resley had heard him, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered is that for the first time, the silence between him and his birthday twin hadn’t been calming or comfortable. Instead it was unsettling and both Resley and Arden seemed like they wanted to say something more. Share something that they were feeling. Arden rarely talked about his feelings with anyone, and the night a few weeks ago after Emori’s convulsions had been a one-off. Arden just wasn’t the type to talk about it, kind of like his father.

Funny thing was, they both had Reyes’ women to talk them down if it came to it. While Raven and Murphy were really good friends, best friends even, Arden couldn’t say the same about him and Resley. They were friends, of course, and birthday twins. But they hadn’t been to the end of the world and back together. They cared about each other though it didn’t go much farther than mutual liking of the other.

It hit Arden as he brushed his teeth, just how much of her life Resley was sacrificing to stay with the Murphys. She was finishing homework downstairs at midnight because every minute Everly was awake, Resley was keeping her busy. Arden realized that that was what Resley probably wanted to tell him. That or at least something close to it. 

As Arden slipped underneath his covers, still tired despite having napped earlier, he knew he had to make it up to Resley sometime. She deserved time off from hanging out with Everly. Tomorrow, Arden decided he would take Everly to the Anomaly Village and give Resley a day alone. It was the least he could do. And Everly was his little sister, someone he loved. A day with her wasn’t going to kill him, plus Emori had said all those months ago that if anything ever happened to her, it was up to the Murphy kids to be there for each other. 

Little did she know that everyone who knew her would pull together and help. An army of sorts, all rallying around one family struggling and waiting on one person. Emori, the light of life and the center of many people’s worlds. Her heart had touched many and there wasn’t much people weren’t willing to do for her; for her family. They were praying for Emori and wishing and hoping that she would wake up. It would take a miracle for that to happen.

Arden rolled over and shut his eyes. He wasn’t one to believe in miracles as those weren’t just given out to anyone. But he could hope and wish and plead. Although first, he needed sleep.

»«

As Arden slept, Ophelia Levitt was far from it. Her heart raced as she read the note scrawled on a piece of paper that looked as though it had been torn off the corner of an old map. The picture on the reverse side was fading, but anyone could tell it was an Etherean map. The snow stained paper made yellow dots and Ophelia would’ve taken more care at examining it’s texture had she not been floored with the message written instead. It was just past midnight when Ophelia remembered that she needed to empty out her school bag. She dumped the contents out on her bed and discovered that the note had been slipped into it at some point that day.

The words were carefully scrawled with an ink pen. Old school markings had been made, with curls at the end of the letters. It was gorgeous. Though the words on it were even more beautiful. A sort of delicate declaration had been written and if whoever wrote it was being truthful, Ophelia had a secret admirer.

Ophelia needed someone to help her over analyze every word, every sentence and each statement made by her secret letter writer. Arden was her first choice, he was her best friend after all, but he was dealing with his mom and she didn’t want to be another burden. Things were almost back to normal after the kiss, however Ophelia couldn’t help but wonder if Arden saw her differently after she told him the truth about whom she was drawn to love.

That didn’t matter at the moment. What mattered was that Ophelia had this beautiful letter in her hands, which were shaking, and she needed someone to talk to. Though the choice seemed difficult, Ophelia knew who she had to call.

Sneaking downstairs, she carefully lifted the phone off the wall hook and pulled it into the stair closet. The cord was luckily long enough to allow this, for otherwise Ophelia feared she would wake her family. She punched in a phone number that seemed forced but it was the right thing to do. Besides, only one person would be up at this time, for time differences still affected their sleep schedule ever so slightly.

The phone line rang, and Ophelia prayed that the receiver’s household wasn’t sleeping. “Hello?” A rough voice spoke, making Ophelia jump. But from the light breathing it was obvious that the person she had meant to call was indeed on the other end.

Taking a deep breath, Ophelia opened her mouth. “Harley? We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Leave a comment if you want or DM me on Instagram @thedefinitionofendgame :)
> 
> FYI, we’re halfway to the hiatus that will take place. I have 9 more chapters planned until the hiatus, which unfortunately leaves you on a huge cliffhanger. The hiatus is scheduled to take place from mid-April until late May. I will continue to keep you guys in the loop about it and all that. If you’re wondering why there will be a hiatus, it is because I have exams in May and need to spend most of April preparing for them. So earlier when I planned this story out, I left a natural break in the story and that’s when the hiatus will take place :) Don’t worry about it too much until later. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna chat about this fic or any of my other fics? Send me a DM/message/ask @thedefinitionofendgame on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thedefinitionofendgame/) or [Tumblr](https://thedefinitionofendgame.tumblr.com/) as I love hearing from y’all.  
> For more updates or info about “It’s Hard To Be A Hero’s Kid” checkout my Instagram or Tumblr.  
> Thank you for reading!


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